


Turning A Feather

by StoryLady35



Series: Feathers Series [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 118,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7116604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryLady35/pseuds/StoryLady35
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annamarie Tolrana only recently moved to Paris from England and at the same time a new miraculous known as 'Royal Peacock' appears to join in the fight. However, while Peacock is beloved and welcomed by Paris, Annamarie soon shows her true colours as nothing more than yet another bully. The question remains; are things as they appear with either person?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Sharing the Load

**Author's Note:**

> Turning a Feather, Written by Storylady35, Inspired by loveHinaSasu, Co-Written by knowlee and Battles Written by BlueWolf4444
> 
> Hope You enjoy! Please Review!

# Chapter 1 - Sharing the Load

 Marinette sighed as she forced herself to climb out of bed once more, her head spinning and her body exhausted from another night of running around the rooftops of Paris as Ladybug. Since her family thought she was in bed asleep all night, they could never understand the real reason behind her exhaustion. She figured that after some time of doing this and allowing her body to get used to the motions would allow her to get accustomed to it, but night after night of crime fighting was exhausting the young teenager.

Chat certainly helped by taking a lot of the strain that built up during the battle as well as keeping their task light-hearted but it still took a lot of convincing from the little red kwami for her to get out of bed and go on patrol. It took even more convincing to make her head off to school.

If Marinette didn’t value her grades so much or fear incurring the disappointment of her parents by failing or being caught she would have skipped school more than once and just found somewhere to catch up on her well needed sleep. But no matter how tired she was, she still managed to drag herself out of bed and go to school, ignoring her pain and fatigue.

Oddly, as she sat herself down in her normal spot with Alya, she noticed the teacher wasn’t waiting for them to greet and quieten the group as she normally did, allowing the students to gossip and chat while they waited. She was a little confused by this and it made her wonder what was going on so she glanced over at Alya to see if perhaps she knew where the teacher was. After all if anyone knew what was going on it was the wannabe journalist with her tendency to try and figure things out due to her ‘need-to-know’ personality. “Where do you suppose Madam Bustier is?”

Alya had formed a look of concentration on her face and after a couple of minutes, looked away from her phone, which she had cradled in her hands, to look at her friend. Marinette briefly caught the logo of the Ladyblog on Alya’s home screen and figured that she’d was checking up on it as she turned to address her. “Dunno for sure honestly, but…” Marinette watched the smile grow on her best friend’s face. “I did hear that we are supposed to get a new student today, so I’d bet anything it’s got something to do with that.”

Marinette nodded at her words and immediately begin thinking about who the new student was. Were they a boy or a girl? What was their name? Where they nice? Or would they be another Chloe? Marinette grimaced at the thought. She certainly hoped not. One person like Chloe was enough, she definitely did not need two of them in her life.

Three minutes after the class was meant to begin, Madam Bustier did arrive, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. She got it but soon lost it as the class saw that standing by her side was another young teenager. Marinette automatically assumed that this was the new student Alya had mentioned. She felt someone poke her left forearm and turned in that direction to see Alya smirking at her. “You owe me a box of macaroons.” She whispered as she appraised the new girl.

Marinette would’ve retorted back with a statement that asked when she made such a gamble, but she was too focused on analysing the new girl as she stood at the front of the class. Her hair was a light wooden styled brown, tied in a very tight rounded bun at the back of her head, her eyes almost golden brown were scanning the room with a smile, subtle hints of make up on her face, nothing like Chloe’s bold darling look but some flesh toned pinks and a little lipstick.

Marinette looked over her clothes and noticed that she was wearing a short pale green summers dress with a white cardigan over the top and had a sturdy, well-worn pale brown bag on her shoulder. During her analysis, she noticed that the girl had met her stare and smiled as their eyes met but then moved away to the next student.

Marinette’s attention was pulled towards the Madam Bustier when she made a noise that sounded like she was clearing her throat. The teacher turned to the now silent class. “Everyone, we have a new student joining us today and I expect you all to make her welcome. This is Annamarie Tolrana. She’s from…”

“Tolrana!” Chloe of all people interrupted, standing up with a wide amazed look on her face. “As in Estella Tolrana!?”

Annamarie nodded with a slight blush. She was a bit surprised that someone had recognized her last name. “My mother.” Her voice had a slight accent to it that wasn’t completely French but her pronunciation was perfect.

Chloe giggled as she stepped out to her and took hold of her hands. “I saw your mother perform once. She was amazing! I have never seen anyone move the way she did! Oh I cannot tell you how good it is to have someone _else_ of culture in this class. Come you _have_ to sit next to me.”

Annamarie nodded and went to the desk with the blonde, sitting on her left between Sabrina who just gave her a smile.

Madam Bustier was clearly a little stunned by Chloe’s interruption but continued with the class as Annamarie set up her tablet and began whispering with the mayor’s daughter, Alya leant towards Marinette with a frown. “If Chloe wants to be her friend, she must be someone important.”

Marinette nodded. “And we might want to avoid her.” She hated thinking those thoughts, especially towards someone she just met, but she also knew that if someone was willing to hang around Chloe of all people that she probably needed to be avoided. ‘Course she thought the same about Adrien and he turned out to be the complete opposite of what she originally thought. She blushed at the memory. Before her thoughts could go any further, she shook her head and began to focus on the task at hand and carried on with the school day.

A few hours passed and the class was allowed to go for a break, everyone filing out at their own pace as they went to their own class, but as Marinette left the classroom she came face to face with Chloe, Sabrina and Annamarie. She internally groaned. She was _really_ hoping that Chloe wasn’t going to start anything today. But as per usual, the luck she had from her Ladybug persona didn’t always carry over to her true self. Chloe folded her arms across her chest as she smirked. “Hey Marinette, just wanted to let you know that my father is hosting a big contest next week. You should apply.”

“Really?” Marinette said with a sigh. She braced herself for whatever Chloe was about to say, because she knew that it wasn’t going to be a compliment.

“Yeah.” Her grin grew slightly larger. “It’s a clown contest. You’d win first place without even trying.” She laughed while looking over at the new girl.

Annamarie smiled but then shook her head. “Now come on Chloe, that would be an insult to the clowns. But if your dad ever hosts a homeless lookalike contest…” Her eyes roamed Marinette slowly. “She’d be perfect for it.”

Chloe took a moment to laugh at the new girl’s joke while Marinette rolled her eyes and decided that her first instinct to avoid Annamarie was spot on. Any hope she had of her being a good friend to hang out with was stamped out.

Later when the two girls were sitting in the home room, Chloe gazing hopelessly at the empty seat across from her. The new girl looked as well. She was curious as to why her new friend was looking over there. “What you doing Chloe?”

“Oh, just wondering when Adrien will turn up.” She sighed, sitting back. A smile formed on her face as she found herself thinking about him. “He’s the most handsome boy in the whole of Paris, if not France. He’s mad about me but he hasn’t had chance to say it yet. Building up his courage.”

The brunette tipped to the side slightly. “Adrien?”

“Adrien Agreste?” Chloe asked, a little surprised that Annamarie had not heard of him. Especially since she was related to some already famous, she would’ve figured that she would have encountered him or at least heard of him at some point. She hurriedly reached for her phone. “You know, the model?” She quickly loaded up an image of the boy in question.

Annamarie looked and shrugged a little. She had to admit that he looked good, but he wasn’t her type. “He’s not bad.”

“Not BAD!?” Chloe gasped, holding her phone and the photo close to her heart. “How can you say that!? He’s gorgeous!”

Annamarie smiled then reached to her own phone and tapped at it to bring up a photo of her own. This was of a young man atop a black horse, his eyes locked on the camera with a dashing smile, wearing what looked like a formal school uniform. Chloe quickly snatched the phone from her hands. “Oh my god! Who is he! He’s gorgeous!”

“My boyfriend, back in England. Tomas Darso.”

“Well…” She coughed, returning the phone. “At least I don’t have to worry about you stealing Adrien from me.”

With her phone now tucked away, the new girl shrugged. “No offence but blondes don’t really get me.” She laughed then looked up to see Marinette enter the room and frowned. “What you looking at, freckles?”

Marinette ignored the statement the new girl made towards her and moved to head towards her seat. Once she got up to the row where her seat was, she saw Alya giving the pair a dirty look. She shook her head at her friend and went to sit down, putting her backpack next to her as she moved. “Hey, it’s ok. I’m just OWW!” She yelped, standing back up again and looking onto her seat. Her eyes widened at the sight she saw.

Someone had stuck a tack onto her chair and from the sniggering, she had a sinking feel this prank was only the beginning. She sighed. Great, now she did have another Chloe to deal with.

Once she heard the final bell for school ring, signalling the end of the day, she felt relieved. Now she could finally get away from the two girls who had been driving her nuts all day. She hurried home to finish her work.

Tikki frowned as floated up out of her small purse. She was concerned for her chosen. She already knew she had enough to deal with already at school with her constant absences and occasional bad grades as well as Chloe. But to add another mean girl to the mix? She wasn’t sure if Marinette would be able to handle it. “Are you alright Marinette? That new girl, she doesn’t seem to like you.”

“Oh she’s just another Chloe.” The girl waved it away, dismissing her kwami’s concerns and put a look of focus and determination on her face. “I’ll be fine. Now, I need to get this homework done.”

Finishing off her work, she decided that for once, she fancied to go on patrol and transformed quickly into Ladybug, yo-yoing out of her bedroom and into the distance. She felt the breeze from the air hitting her face and felt the freedom that came with her swinging across Paris’ rooftops. She smiled at the feeling.

Soon though she neared the river and found herself glad that she decided to go on a patrol as just when she came to the Seine, she noticed an odd surge in the water level that caused it to swell up over the walls and onto the pavement, knocking over cars and people in its wake. Instinct quickly took over as she quickly she swung into action and grabbed a few of the panicked people, lifting them to safety on the rooftops.

Once that was done, she looked around again for the cause but that soon became clear. A huge wave was coming down the river once more but this one appeared to have someone surfing along the top.

Clearly someone had become akumatized and it was up to her to stop them.

She ran towards the river and landed on a bridge just ahead of the wave. The surfer had long black dreadlocks with a dark red mask over his face, his black wetsuit marked with blue waves and he laughed as rode the wave down the river. He yelled out loud as he neared the bridge. “Surf’s Up Dudes!”

Immediately after his shout, he performed a fancy trick on his board while the wave roared up out of the river and onto the pavement, magic enabling it to keep its shape as it carried on. Ladybug only had few moments to briefly show her shock and ‘weirded-outness’ of how the villain looked and of the particular catchphrase he had chosen to say before the realization hit her that the wave was heading straight for her.

If the first wave hadn’t cleared the road of people, Ladybug would have panicked for the civilians but since she had cleared them all away earlier, she allowed herself not to worry about it. She swung out of the way to try and get ahead of it but just as she did, it stopped in front of her, the water still moving but the wave did not come any closer to them. Surf’s Up on the wave frowned as his eyes were covered with the familiar butterfly mask.

The akuma smiled. “Time for a wash out Ladybug!”

Ladybug felt a slight twinge of fear form in her stomach as she watched the akuma lift one of his hands up into the air, a tendril of water following it like a magnet. She quickly shifted into a stance that would allow her to move quickly as she knew that if she wasn’t careful, she’d be swept away into the river.

She was glad that she moved into that position, for just a few seconds after that, the surfer threw his hand in her direction and set a giant wave of water rushing right towards her. Grabbing her yo-yo from its designated spot on her waist, she quickly flicked it towards the general direction the surfer was at and felt it latch onto a nearby building. When she felt it was secure, she allowed it to pull her up and over the wave of water just in the nick of time.

Once she had moved far enough away from the crazed akuma, she released her yo-yo’s hold onto the building and allowed herself to land on the ground, quickly pulling herself into a roll to prevent injury. She turned to face him and try to find an opening to allow her to attack and to find the location of where the akuma was.

Unfortunately though, he wasn’t going to give her that option.

More and more waves of water was sent in her direction and it took all she had to try and dodge the wisps of water lest she found herself caught in their grip and sent flying, or worse drowning. That thought made it even more important that she avoided them.

It was during one of her dodging manoeuvres that she suddenly realized that she made a grave error. She felt the coolness of the water quickly wrap around her leg as she was in mid-air from a backwards flip and knew immediately that this wasn’t going to end well. Just when she braced for the sudden impact, she heard a loud battle cry and suddenly found herself freed from the water’s grip.

Luckily she managed to right herself before having a nasty fall by rolling forward to avoid serious injury. She looked up towards where the man was standing to see her partner Chat Noir going one-on-one with him. She smiled as she was glad to see him. Maybe now she’d have more of a chance to find where the akuma was.

As she watched the two men fighting against each other (and vaguely wondering how Chat was holding up against him, since he was a cat and they didn’t much care for water), her eyes suddenly widened and she felt an urge to slap herself in the face when she realized where the akuma was. “Why didn’t I see that before…?”

The akuma had to be in Surf’s Up’s surfboard. It made the most logical sense. Why she didn’t think of that before was beyond her, but in her defence she had been trying to avoid drowning in the water that he was sending towards her. Now that she knew where the akuma was hiding, she jumped into the fray and began backing up her partner but the water controller could send it literally anywhere.

She ran towards the surfer as he was currently engaged with Chat Noir and saw that she could easily grab his surfboard from him if she timed it perfectly. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could towards the infected object to try and grab it, but before she had a chance, he noticed her moving towards it. He instead quickly used his free arm to motion to a puddle of water that sat next to her to rise up and attack her. Ladybug it out the corner of her eye and quickly dodged the liquid before it could hit her fully but it still hurt.

Chat grimaced at Surf’s Up as he dared to attack his Lady and used his baton to attack the surfer yet again in an attempt to get the surfboard out of his grip. He had a feeling that it probably was where the akuma was since he had noticed Ladybug trying to make her way towards it before she was forced to back down.

He tried his best to keep attacking the man and watching for an opening that would allow for him to knock the board from his possession and allow Ladybug to grab it, but nothing was working. And just when he thought he had hit him in just the right way to allow that to happen, the surfer nimbly jumped out of the way and landed on the edge of the bridge where they had been fighting.

“This is getting ridiculous!” Chat quickly glanced at Ladybug as she spoke from her stand beside him, body in a similar fighting position to his. “We need to get that surfboard, but he’s not allowing us to get a chance to grab it.”

He smirked at the anger he heard in her voice. It would be like her to get riled up like that. It was one of her many traits that he loved. “Well, looks like we better get ready to ride the waves then, you think, Bugaboo?”

He didn’t even have to look at her to see the glare she was sending his direction.

The two superheroes attention was then dragged away and back towards Surf’s Up as he rolled up on his board and wave before them. “As much as I’d _love_ to watch you two lovebirds flirt with one another, I think it’s time to shred you two out until you’re nothing but a faded out wash out!”

Surf’s Up raised both his hands high above his head and from his position at the edge of the bridge, he was able to form the largest wave they had seen, even bigger than any of the ones before. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir’s eyes widened at the sight, knowing there was no way they were going to dodge this one.

The wave was about to come crashing down on them, forcing the two heroes to scramble and try to get away so avoid getting caught in it but the wave was faster. Ladybug was in the middle of trying to use her yo-yo to try and grapple onto one of the buildings to hoist them up and away from the incoming wave when suddenly the wave changed direction, following the road that was closest to the bridge.

The break in the attack allowed Ladybug and Chat to stop running and catch their breaths in relief before noticing as they watched it and Surf’s Up. “What happened?” Chat asked, following the wave as it went around in a peculiar pattern, trying to crash down on a target.

Ladybug shrugged. “I don’t know, it looks like it’s following something.”

“That’s my work.”

The two turned at the voice just as something blue jumped down beside them before standing up, revealing herself to be a woman, not much taller or older than either of them in a full blue skin tight suit with lighter blue gloves and knee high boots. Her face was masked like them but her eyes behind it were a pale golden brown. She smiled at them and closed a pale blue fan in her hands. “I didn’t mean to interrupt but you looked like you needed a hand.”

The two stared at her. “Who are you?”

“No idea.” She said honestly then blinked as something bleeped in a familiar tone and she touched the side of her head. “But we don’t have long, the illusion I cast will wear off soon so unless you want to go swimming, I recommend you deal with that guy. And fast.”

The two superheroes looked at each other then decided questions could wait and went back to Surf’s Up. The villain was still atop his board on the magic wave, chasing something that no one else could see. It gave the two of them a chance to get close without being spotted. “The akuma is in his surf board.” Ladybug said as the three of them ran forward.

The new comer frowned at her. “The what?”

Chat Noir smirked at her. “You really are new to this. Ok, Hero 101; bad bug makes bad guy. Bug in board. Get board and break it. We’ll do the rest.”

She nodded. “I’ll take the air then.” Spreading out her fan once more, it grew in her grasp until it looked like a large glider, picking her up into the air and around the nearest buildings. The others watched in amazement as she took to the sky but then noticed that Surf’s Up was also looking at her and soon spouts of water were flying into the air.

The flyer twisted and turned to avoid them but each turn took her further away from the other two heroes. What made the situation even worse was that while she was attempted to dodge all of the akuma's attacks, she lost her   
control over her glider and was losing air quickly. Luckily though she managed to land on a roof albeit roughly, rolling with the blow before quickly standing up to face her attacker.

Chat Noir and Ladybug briefly worried that the akuma was going to get her, but once she dodged a quick wave it proved to them that she was doing alright. But shortly after that realization, they watched as she was forced to run as the water began to follow her, fully intending to drown her.

The two heroes shared a look that showed that their minds were on the same page and began running towards the location where the akuma was fighting. They had a golden opportunity to attack him now and they weren't going to waste it. But first they needed an item that would help secure their victory.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug quickly activated her special power before her and Chat Noir got any closer to the akuma so she could quickly figure out a good way to use whatever item was given to her.

To her surprise and shock (which honestly she shouldn't still be feeling that way about it after all this time of using it) it was a blow up shark. Ladybug was a little bit confused as to how to use it, but she also knew that with her quick thinking skills she would be able to come up with something.

She glanced around the surrounding area to get an idea of what could be used with the item to make it work. She also knew that she needed to work fast considering that she could easily tell that their new companion was about to run out of steam. Luckily it only took her a few moments to quickly figure out a plan. She turned to Chat Noir.

“Chat, use your Cataclysm on the drainage cover! That'll get rid of the water!”

“But what about the item you have? How are you going to use that?” Ladybug only smiled at the devious thought she had running through her head. “I'm going to use the rushing water to make it _seem_ like there is actually a shark there.”

Her smile widened at the sight of Chat Noir's smirk. “Ah, brilliant, My Lady.”

The two split off into different directions; Ladybug to quickly position the shark just so in order to make it seem believable and Chat Noir to take care of the drainage cover. As she was finishing putting the shark onto the ground, she heard her partner activate his power and shortly after that she watched as the water began to rush towards the now open drain.

She quickly made sure that the shark was still situated where it needed to be and moved away from it to make sure the akuma didn't put two and two together and realise that it was a fake. She decided to put her somewhat novice acting skills to use. “Look! It's a shark!”

He took the bait.

The akuma turned around and upon seeing the shark moving along in the rushing water, he yelped and jumped off of his board as a knee jerk reaction to seeing a creature that was something no surfer ever wanted to see when they were in the water. Once Surf’s Up realized it was now in the water he tried to get himself back onto the surfboard in order to keep himself safe from the _deadly_ shark.

Unfortunately though his efforts were in vain for Ladybug quickly grabbed the object with her yo-yo and pulled it in her direction. He tried to use his powers to force the water to stop moving around him, but during his haste to do that, he failed to notice the open drain that the water was traveling down into and soon found himself being pulled into it.

With the threat now neutralized, Ladybug snapped the board in half and watched as the little black butterfly flew out. Before it could escape though, she quickly purified it and released the lucky charm, fixing all the damage done in the attack and bringing the now confused surfer out from the prison he had found himself in when he went down into the open drain.

With a ‘pound it’ from Chat, the two of them looked at the roof where the blue woman was, smiling at them and decided they couldn’t avoid it anymore and headed up to her. As they walked up, the other smiled. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to have met you.” She said then heard another warning bleep.

Ladybug looked to the side of her head where a small blue hairpin shaped like a peacock was sat, three of the five feather blacked out. The red Miraculous frowned at her. “You better get out of here. You’re going to change back soon.”

“But…” She pleaded, desperately. “We need to talk! I have so many questions. Please…”

“Then meet us tomorrow at the top of the Eifel Tower.” Chat suggested quickly. “We will talk then.”

Another bleep. “What time?” She asked while spreading her fan once more.

“6 o clock, in the evening.”

She nodded and quickly jumped into the sky, swooping out of sight in just a few moments. The cat and ladybug looked at each other for a moment. “A new ally?” Chat asked.

“Let’s see what she has to say tomorrow first.” She said before hearing the first warning beep of her own. “Meet me tomorrow at 5 Chat, I want to make sure we have a plan.”

He smiled charmingly at her. “As you wish my lady. But purr-sonally, I think she’s on our side.”

Another warning bleep, they decided they didn’t have time to plan now and quickly said their goodbyes and headed off.

~

 The next day was just as bad as the first for Marinette, Annamarie’s cruelty was perhaps worse Chloe’s simple teasing, calling her freckles and pigtails as well as taking her pens when she wasn’t looking. But the day was soon over without anything too trouble and once her homework was done, Marinette transformed and headed off to meet Chat Noir before their new companion.

The two heroes sat on a building just behind the Eifel Tower and talked about it all.

“I dunno my lady.” Chat said as he swung his legs over the ledge. “I don’t think it’s some kind of trick.”

“I just want to be careful.” The heroine explained as she scanned the area. “I mean, remember Lila and Volpina? She pulled the wool over us too. I just want to be extra careful this time.”

The cat fell silent at the mention of it. That was still a troublesome memory. Even more since they had no idea where Lila was now. “But I don’t think this is the same. I mean, Volpina was… bold and knew what she was doing. She was too good to be true… which she turned out to be… but this one… I don’t know, I have a good feeling about her.”

Silent, Ladybug looked back at the tower ahead of them just in time to see something blue gliding through the air towards it, landing just below the top and beginning to climb up slowly to the very top. The two of them smiled and looked over at it. “She’s early.”

“We should go meet her then.” Chat drew out his staff and extended it as far as it would go, propelling himself into the distance of the tower.

The Ladybug wasn’t far behind him, swinging out to the iconic landmark.

The blue woman was sat on the railing at the very top of the tower, feet overhanging the edge, looking out over the city with a relaxed expression. Her masked gaze turned to the pair as they landed and smiled at them both. “You’re early.”

“Could say the same for you.” Ladybug chuckled lightly.

She shrugged. “Well, in all honesty, how often do you get chance to see Paris at night from the top of the Eifel Tower?” Her gaze turned back to the city. “I can see why they call this place the City of Light. It’s so beautiful.”

Ladybug looked as well. She had lived in Paris for a very long time and in a way the city had lost its charm. But watching it now, she had to smile. It was beautiful. But that answered a question. “You’re not from France.” She said to their new companion.

She nodded. “Yes, I moved here about a week ago.”

“How come we haven’t see you before?” Chat asked as he sat on the other side of her.

The woman shrugged once more. “The truth is… I was a little freaked out by all this. So I’ve been getting used to it in secret, doing a bit of practice, learning what I can do and such. I’ve had my powers only for the week, ever since I came to Paris. But the yesterday I saw you two and realised I wasn’t the only one. So I decided to take a chance and show myself to you.” She blushed a little under her mask. “I’m _really_ embarrassed that I didn’t think to research you before we met.”

“Research us?”

“Ever heard of the internet?” She teased. “It’s very useful. You know you have at least 19 websites dedicated to you? I was really impressed with everything you’ve done.”

Ladybug turned as red as her mask and scratched the back of her head. “Yeah.”

“And I’m guessing you are a fan of the ‘Ladyblog’ since they have a one on one interview with you?”

While Ladybug blushed, Chat huffed playfully and looked away, arms folded. “There are ones dedicated to me as well you know.”

“Most of them just go on about your… _derriere_ kitty.” The other teased.

However he just smirked and looked over at Ladybug. “You hear that my lady? Someone appreciates my dashing good looks.”

The two women rolled their eyes then noticed they both did and laughed. Ladybug sighed as she finished chuckling then looked over the blue woman, sitting on the rail next to her. “So, tell us, what’s your name?”

The masked eyed widened. “Sorry?”

“She means your hero name.” Chat Noir confirmed for her as he perched on the rail on the other side. “We promised not to reveal our identities to anyone, even each other.”

“Oh. Umm… I haven’t really thought about it.” She looked over her costume. “I believe my kwami is a peacock so… since you are a black cat and you a ladybug… I guess that makes me… ‘ _Peacock_ ’?”

“Peacock?” Chat tested, his face screwed up in contemplation. “Na, I don’t like it. I mean… _Miraculous_ Ladybug… _Chat_ Noir… and Peacock? Doesn’t work! You need two parts to your name!”

“What would you recommend?” The new woman said, gently pushing him as if to throw him from the tower.

He glared at her playful actions. “How about ‘ _Royal_ Peacock’? Since you’re such a ‘royal’ pain.”

Pushing him further towards the edge, the blue woman chuckled. “Oh really?” She teased before pulling him back by the tail.

Ladybug smiled at them both. “Honestly, I like it. We can call you RP for short.”

She chuckled a little then nodded. “Very well, Royal Peacock it is.” The trio smiled and Royal Peacock looked back to the city. “I’m looking forward to working with you both but… I have a lot to learn.”

“So do we.” Ladybug said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder and looking over at Chat. Without even saying it, he knew his lady had accepted that this wasn’t some akuma trick but the real thing.

Another Miraculous joining them. And that their job just became shared out a little more.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Tolrana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where we find what we knew from Chapter 1

# Chapter 2 - A Tolrana

Gym was normally Marinette’s weakest class but due to her extra out of school activities it was steadily becoming her favourite. Of course, she had to be careful not to show off but when everyone else was panting and gasping for breath, she stood, fresh as a daisy.

After a long lap session of the lapping the field, the instructor pulled out a spring broad and vaulting horse, setting them up before a mat and causing some of the students to groan while other grinned. Naturally the athletic ones were instantly ready and made it over the vault when their names were called without hesitation but often failed on the landed while others failed miserable from the beginning.

The list continued onwards and finally it was Marinette’s turn. She stood at the beginning of the path and took a deep breath before running forward, using the board to jump up into the air, using one hand to push herself over the vault and landed perfectly on the mat in a crouch.

The teacher nodded. “Very impressive, Marinette. Chloe, you’re next.”

Chloe huffed as she glared at Marinette, Annamarie beside her. “That little show off. How’d she even do that?”

Annamarie shrugged but then smiled at her friend. “Don’t worry, we’ll show her how it’s really done.”

The blonde smiled back then took to the run up to the vault, jumping onto the spring board and landed painfully on her stomach over the vault. The whole class winced at the pain they knew she would be in as she staggered back, holding her stomach. “Owww.” She moaned, going to the side.

The teacher shook his head then looked at the list. “Annamarie.”

The new girl smiled and nodded, rolling her shoulders and waiting for a moment, the whole class turning to look at her before running down the path faster than anyone else before jumping up onto board using it to fly over the vault without touching it and landed perfectly on the mat with her hands above her head.

As she stepped off the mat, she looked to see that everyone, teacher included, were staring at her speechless but she just brushed a stray stand of hair back into place. Suddenly the class broke out in amazement, walking forward. “Whoa! How did you do that?”

Annamarie’s smile grew but Chloe quickly wrapped her arms around her shoulder. “Well, what did you expect from a Tolrana?” She laughed with joy at knowing something the others didn’t. “After all, she is the youngest Prima Ballerina in the whole of Europe. She’s almost as famous as her mother.”

Alex blinked suddenly. “You’re a ballerina?”

The brunette shrugged. “It’s in my blood.”

Chloe grinned as she turned her gaze to Marinette. “Bet you’ve never even been to a ballet, have you pigtails?”

Marinette looked ready to argue but she knew it was pointless so just walked away while the teacher called them to the next activity, listening as the blonde and brunette laughed at her retreating back.

The rest of class was painless and uneventful, Annamarie continuing to show off her grace and balance and impressing a lot of the class as she did. At the end, they were allowed to go change and Chloe chuckled as she stood by her friends. “You know, these peasants wouldn’t know culture if it bit them.”

The other smiled and they walked into the locker room, glancing around before noticing that Marinette was missing and grinned, beckoning Chloe over before giggling into her ear. “I’ve got an idea. Quick, open that locker there.” She said, pointing at one unused one.

Catching on to what they were doing, Chloe did as told and opened the metal door, enabling Annamarie to stuff Marinette’s clothes inside and locked it. She winked at the blonde. “Let’s see how little miss fashion likes the rest of the day in her gym clothes.”

The two laughed and ran off to change themselves, barely holding back giggles as Marinette came in and looked for her clothes but all she could find was her bag and shoes. “HEY!” She called out to everyone. “Where are my clothes?”

On the other side of the room, Annamarie smiled, leaning closer to Chloe’s ear. “Taken by the fashion police no doubts.”

Chloe sniggered as they made their way out of the changing room and towards their next science class, sitting down and chatting while a few minutes later, Marinette walked in, still in her gym clothes having clearly failed to find her own. The madam wasn’t impressed but let it go.

Alya on the other hand glared at her clearly defeated position. “Bet you anything Annamarie and Chloe have taken them.”

“You don’t know for sure Alya. Could have been anyone.”

“Ah. Ha.” Alya stated, not believing a word of it.

Ahead of them, Adrian turned on his seat. “Hey, Marinette, I… um… have a change of clothes in my locker. You could borrow them if you don’t want to stay in your gym clothes?”

Marinette turned bright red at the offer and barely recognised Annamarie and Chloe glaring at her. “Umm… thanks but… umm… I mean… that’s nice… but… umm… I’m sure mine will turn up.”

He shrugged and went back to his own work. As luck would have it, the next time Marinette went to check the lockers, there were her clothes, in a slightly messy pile on a bench.

At the end of school, Alya decided to try and distract her friend from her school troubles by showing her some footage of a strange blue shape seen flying around Paris, along with the familiar red and black shapes of Ladybug and Chat Noir. “I’m telling you girl, something is going on there! I mean… could it be another super hero? Because when I first saw this, I thought I was seeing some wannabe fan but I keep hearing about sightings… what do you think, Mari?”

Knowing full well the blue was Royal Peacock, Marinette had no choice but to shrug. “Who knows? If it is, guess you’ll find out soon.” Mentally she made a note to talk to Peacock about a press release. She’d been with them just over a week and only the two of them knew about her so far.

Alya sighed. “Yes. I guess. But it would be cool. Paris’ duo becoming a trio!”

“Yeah. And they need the extra help.”

“I still wonder where these heroes come from.” The reporter wondered as she tapped at her phone.

“Who cares where they come from?” Came another voice and the two looked back to see Chloe, Sabrina and Annamarie walking towards them. Chloe crossed her arms as she walked. “Doesn’t matter if there is another hero, they won’t be anywhere are good as Ladybug.”

The other two didn’t say anything but Annamarie smiled to the side. “Oh, see you found your rags Marinette. But really, if you think that is fashionable, you really are delusional.”

The others laughed at her as they walked away, Alya having to hold her friend back from going after them. “Easy girl.”

“If I ever said anything nice about her, I take it back. Annamarie is _way_ worse than Chloe!” _And perhaps even worse than an akuma._ She thought to herself as well as she sat back down.

Alya gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Look, you only have to put up with her for a few hours a day. Then she’s gone, alright?”

“Yeah. Thank goodness.”

The two smiled then headed off home while Chloe was stood with Annamarie, holding up two small pieces of paper. “So are you coming or not?” Chloe asked once more as she held up them.

The brunette looked at the VIP Backstage passes for a local rock concert before shaking her head to the blonde. “Sorry Chloe but I’m going to meet my new troupe tomorrow and I need really to practice. And… honestly, I’m not a big fan of rock music. I’m more of a classical fan.” Sinking, the blonde pouted at her friend before Annamarie held up a finger. “But why don’t you ask Adrian if he wants to go instead? I bet he likes rock music.”

Shocked that the idea wasn’t her own, Chloe beamed and quickly ran off to find the ‘love of her life’ to offer him the ticket. Meanwhile, Annamarie began the walk back to her home and opened the door to the apartment. “I’m home mom! Are you in?”

There was no reply so Annamarie reached to her side and opened her small bag, allowing a small bright blue creature to fly out. The creature had bright golden eyes and three bright yellow and blue feathers on its head with three more coming out of its tail, folding its arms and hovered before the teenager. “About time!” She huffed in sweet but annoyed tone. “Would it kill you to get some windows in that bag?”

Annamarie rolled her eyes as she began to walk up to her room. “Yes because a bag with windows is **_so_** subtle Froufrou.” She said sarcastically.

The little peacock flew behind her and crossed her arms again. “You are not the one stuck in a dark old leather school bag for 6 hours a day. I would like to see what mood _you_ would be in after being stuck in there.”

“You don’t have to come with me to school.” She said as she picked up a bunch of grapes and placed them on a china plate by the window, leaving them there as she headed for a desk just next to it. “You can stay here all day and eat grapes if you wanted.”

“And leave you alone? No, you are still too new to being Royal Peacock for me to leave your side.” The kwami explained as she sat beside her food and began to eat. “You would be stuck without me and you know it.” She shook her head, picking up a grape. “No, no, that won’t do Annamarie. So where ever you go, I go. And that’s final. But I do wish you would get a new bag.”

The young girl smiled as she began to get on with her homework but her attention was taken by a framed photo on her desk of herself with another woman, smiling at the camera as the two of them stood before the iconic tower of Big Ben in London. Annamarie smiled as she touched the woman’s image over the same hairclip that now rested in her brown locks. “Miss you.” She whispered to the picture.

Froufrou looked up from her food to see what she was talking about before biting into her grape and sighing. “She made the right choice, you know. Trusting you with me and the miraculous.”

“I just wish she could be here.” Annamarie sighed then went back to her work.

~

Hair finally back in place, Annamarie let out a deep breath. “I can’t help but be jealous of Ladybug and Chat Noir.” She said as she fixed her hair with some more hair spray. “They don’t have to spend ages with earrings or a ring everyday to look good. This hairclip takes so much work!”

Froufrou chuckled as she finished off her breakfast. “Yes, but you look fabulous with it!”

The smiled then grabbed her bag from the floor. “I hope it doesn’t fall out later, I don’t have time to keep fixing it.”

“Annamarie! Are you ready to go?” Her mother’s voice called from outside the door.

“Coming mom.”

Opening the door, the dancer smiled at her mother who smiled at her. “Are you excited?”

“Nervous.” She confessed, heading downstairs and heading for the door. “It’s a whole new troupe. I have researched them, they are more traditional than I’m used to.”

Her mother cupped her cheek with a smile then brushed a stray strand of hair back off her face. “They will love you. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”

“I need to learn how to get there on foot. And besides, the traffic is fowl this time of day. I need to get going or I’ll be late.”

Estella called as her only child hurried out of the house and off down the road. “See you later!”

Running down the road, Annamarie sprinted to the large building near the river and, slowing at the last moment, headed inside, getting directions to the right studio from the receptionist. Soon she found herself in a large room with every wall covered with mirrors and support beams while with an open space in the middle. She wasn’t surprised to see a lot of other girls and a few boys her age around the room, warming up.

One of these girls was Emilie Garnier, a tanned girl with long black hair in a ponytail in a grey crop top and leggings, stretching out against one of the mirrors. Some of the others were stood beside her. “Emilie, is it true?” One asked. “That madam is going to ask you to replace Sylvie as Prima?”

“That’s what I heard. When Sylvie left, you were the favourite to replace her.”

 Emilie smiled and shrugged, continuing to stretch her legs. “She did say she would like me to take her place.”

“No one works harder in this troupe than you Emilie.”

“You deserve to become Prima.”

The group all nodded in agreement but then noticed the new girl walking past them as she made her way over to the madam. “Excuse me? Madam Renou?”

The woman was in her late thirties and her hair was very short, a dark brown colour and she wore a long flowing black dress while her face was still bright and fresh as it lit up with a polite smile. “Yes?”

“Hi there.” She held out her hand. “I’m Annamarie Tolrana? You should be expecting me?”

“Oh yes! Your mother called, let me know you were coming.” She chuckled then shook her hand. “Did you find the place alright?”

“Yes madam.”

“Well, you’re just in time, it’s a new season and we are casting for our next production. Please, go change and warm up.”

Annamarie nodded, going to the side and putting her bag down to change her shoes.

Meanwhile the other girls stared in amazement. “Did she say Tolrana?”

“She did.”

“As in Estella Tolrana?”

“The famous English Prima? Can’t be.”

Emilie frowned harder at the girl as she pulled on and laced up her shoes. “Well, doesn’t matter who her mother is. She will still have to prove herself.”

Not a moment later, the madam stood in the middle of the room and clapped her hands, everyone turning quickly to look at her. “Everyone, attention.” The class fell into silence, watching her. “Now, as you all know, at the end of last season, Sylvie Lemaigre left our troupe to pursue her own personal education. Which has left us without a Prima for this upcoming season. So, I am going to take a rare choice and open the position to _anyone_. You will perform today and I will decide whom our new prima will be from that performance.”

Everyone smiled and whispered for a bit, Emilie’s name being passed around a few times in the process. The madam clapped once more and the group fell silent. “Now, all of you should know the overture routine from Swan Lake as we performed them last term. In groups of five, I want you to perform it. A level equal starting point to show off your talent. Annamarie, you will be in the last group so watch careful. Now, you, you, you, you and you, central.”

As the dancers she’d pointed to took positions in the middle of the room and the others stood to the side, Annamarie watched them carefully. She was at a disadvantage as she didn’t know their routine but she watched them. The troupe was 25 strong so she got to watch it five times before she was called upon.

It was only a short routine but filled with complicated movements. She was glad when it was over, observing a few of the troupe watching her with smiles. She smiled back.

Renou lifted her head from her note book and nodded. “Well done, all of you. It is always a difficult choice to make, to replace someone who was as well-loved as Sylvie but it has to be done. You have all displayed a great deal of dedication to the troupe and your work but after a great deal of consideration, I have decided to select… Annamarie Tolrana as our new Prima Ballerina.”

Everyone turned to look at the new girl as she stared in shock at the madam before she quickly walked forward and turned to the teacher. “Madam Renou, please, I… I can’t accept! I don’t know anything about your troupe… or how you perform. Surely someone of more experience would be more suitable.”

The madam shook her head. “Annamarie, you never saw this routine until today and yet you mastered it perfectly. You clearly have more talent and experience than anyone here and therefore, are the perfect selection for the open slot.”

Blushing, the brunette looked to see the other girls whispering around her but not with smiles. They looked at her with contentment now. She lowered her gaze away from them. “Thank you Madam Renou.”

“Very well. We will meet the same time on Tuesday. I expect to see you all here on time.”

The group mumbled as they changed and headed off, Emilie leaving almost immediately, running until she got to the school’s costume department, picking up a hairband with white pair of feather wings on it. “It’s not fair! I was meant to be the Prima this season! I was meant to be the one in the spotlight! And she stole it from me!”

~

 Far away, a window opened and a masked man stood, smiling at the situation.

“Promised the lead but over looked for a new girl? Who has never paid her dues? The frustration and disappointment is the perfect condition for my little akuma.” Hawk Moth said with a smile as he cupped a pure white butterfly and gave it the darkness of an akuma moth.

Released, it flew for the gap in the gap in window, its master grinned at his work. “Fly my little akuma and darken this dancer’s soul.”

The moth did commanded and flew down the school’s air vents into the costume room where it collided with the feather’s Emilie had been holding. She looked up as a moth shaped mask appeared over her eyes and she heard his voice.

_“Dark Swan, I am Hawk Moth. I will grant you the power to prove who the real Prima Ballerina should be. And all I ask in return is the miraculous of Ladybug, Chat Noir and that Peacock.”_

Dark Swan smiled and she slipped her headband on. “I will be the only one to light up the stage!”

~

 Above, Annamarie sighed as she waited for the madam to leave her office, watching as the locked up and prepared to go home. “Madam Renou! Wait.”

Her teacher turned and smiled. “Annamarie, what are you still doing here? I thought you had gone home.”

“I came to ask you to reconsider.”

“Reconsider?”

“Making me the Prima. Please, choose one of the other girls. They have worked harder than I have…”

“I would disagree.” She interrupted. “Your form is impeccable and on a routine you had never seen before. Your last tutor clearly taught you very well.”

The teen sighed. “Yes but I don’t want to be Prima. Not yet anyway! I want to work and prove myself for it. How would the other girls think if someone who they have never seen before suddenly takes the lead role? They will never forgive me.”

The dance madam frowned at her. “I understand your concern but this is a ballet studio. The student with the best performance gets the best role and you set the bar, Miss Tolrana so now the others will have to match it. I’m sorry but my mind is made up.” She paused for a moment. “You know, most girls would be pleased to be in your position. You should show a little gratitude.”

The dancer sighed, watching her walk away for the exit, following a few steps behind. They had just left the main entry when they were suddenly faced with a woman, her hair pure white and tied up to one side, her clothes that of the famous black swan Odile but she had real black wings coming from her back, allowing her to hover. She grinned, looking at the teacher and student. “Annamarie Tolrana! I am Dark Swan and I am going to prove to you which of us should be the real Prima Ballerina!”

The teacher gasped as she recognised the akuma victim. “Emilie? Emilie Garnier? What have you done? What’s happened to you?”

The ballerina frowned as she reached up to her headband and pulled out a black feather. “I am Dark Swan!” She shouted, throwing the feather. It collided with the older woman and a dark glow consumed her. When it stopped, her teacher was nearly unrecognisable, her face now part swan, compete with beak and her body now had wings instead of arms.

Annamarie gasped as she watched it then looked back at the other as Dark Swan smiled at her. “Now… for you.”

Gripping her bag tighter, the other dance didn’t spare a moment to think more than that she had to get away so she could transform. Without a moment to think, she ran down the road away from the Dark Swan. “After her!” She shouted and her formal tutor turned swan began to chase her, wings flapping in her haste, the akuma behind her.

Anyone who happened to be out and about on the road was soon met with the same attack and transformed into a swan minion, joining in the fight to catch Annamarie as she tried to escape but the further she ran the more people Dark Swan changed and she was getting tired.

As Peacock she’d discovered she could run miles and not get out of breath but while Annamarie was still a good runner, and years of ballet had given her some good stamina, it wouldn’t be enough to escape.

Rounding a corner and hoping the find somewhere to hide, she was met with a wall of swans and their leader, Dark Swan pirouetted right in front of the terrified victim, smiling to herself. “Now, Annamarie, you will become just one more of my army! And I will the one true Prima Ballerina!”

Annamarie stood frozen in her tracks, holding her bag tightly as the swan people surrounded her, keeping her in place as their leader plucked a feather from her hair and threw it towards her.

Eyes wide, she tried to duck away from it but suddenly found herself flying backwards, over the swans and landing on the ground out of their grip. Rubbing her backside, she looked at what had happened, soon seeing the black and red figures of Ladybug and Chat Noir, both spinning their weapons as they looked at the akuma victim.

“Ladybug.” She whispered to her ally.

The heroine looked back at her and frowned before turning to the cat. “Get her out of here. Take her somewhere safe. I’ll take care of the Akuma.”

Chat didn’t look pleased with the assignment but turned, grabbing her by the wrist and dragged her down the road away from the fight. He used his staff to knock a few of the swan people to the ground and climbed onto a roof, Annamarie holding on for dear life as he did.

The ‘safe place’ they headed to turned out to be a local hotel, Chloe Bourgeois’s hotel of all places and the two of them snuck in from a side door and found the lift. Chat pressed a button and released her wrist as they rose.

He’d held it quite tight in their escape and Annamarie rubbed it as they waited. “Why do I get the feeling you and Ladybug don’t like me?”

Chat didn’t look at her. “We’ve heard rumours about you Annamarie Tolrana. And none of them good.” He said as the lift stopped and the doors opened.

Running down the hallway, they found the closest open door and went inside, Chat locking the door before checking for other exits, closing the curtains and locking all the windows pardon one before turning to his charge and. “Stay here and don’t leave.” He went to the unlocked window and climbed into it but not before shooting a glare back at the other. “I need to get back to my lady and clean up whatever mess you’ve made.” With that, he leapt out of the window and into the distance.

Alone, the dancer sighed to herself and allowed Froufrou out from her hiding place. “Looks like even Chat Noir and Ladybug have heard about me.”

Froufrou smiled. “You’ll make it up to them somehow.”

“Yeah.” She said, not sounding convinced. But then she looked up and frowned. “But for now, they need my help.” Touching the hairclip, it glowed blue and she said the magic words. “Froufrou! Feathers up!”

~

 Jumping to avoid another swan person as they tried to grab Ladybug but luckily she was too fast and managed to push or jump away from them in time. The cat turned up not long after and helped push them back. “Hey my lady, you really need to ‘watch the birdy’.” He teased while jumping over one, causing it to run into the wall.

Ladybug rolled her eyes at his joke as she avoided some more of the swans. “Save the puns Chat; did you get the girl to safety?”

He frowned but nodded. “Yeah, she’s safe.”

“Not for long she won’t be!” Dark Swan chuckled as she threw a handful of feathers at the pair.

The two swung their weapons as they prepared for the attack but as the akuma feathers flew at them, another dropped down between them, glider taking the strikes before collapsing into a fan. Peacock smirked as she stood up. “This town isn’t big enough for two bird girls.”

“Peacock.” Ladybug sighed. “Your jokes can be as bad as Chat’s sometimes.”

The Dark Swan growled but then her face lit up with a purple mask once more. “You three will give me your miraculous and then you will join my army of swans!”

The three heroes took a defensive position as Dark Swan sent another wave of her servants to get them, the group doing their very best to block their attacks but when they did find themselves caught, the others were there to help get them out of it. But with so many to defeat, the trio soon began to pant in exhaustion, backing into the middle the circle they were making around them, back to back as they stood together. Ladybug frowned as she looked around. “We need to get out of here and come up with a plan.”

Chat nodded in agreement, staff twirled in his grip. “Feathers?”

Fan spreading out, the Peacock nodded. “One distraction coming up.” She said, holding her fan to the right hand side where it began to glow blue, little pearls of yellow, green and blue light coming from the eyes. “Feather Illusion!” She shouted before waving the fan over the group around them, a haze of sparkling blue light going over them.

Then the air was filled with the sound of barking as at least a dozen dogs ran out of the shadows and began joyfully chasing the swans who scattered to avoid them. Dark Swan shouted at her minions, trying to control them but as she looked away from the trio, they had already taken off at a sprint.

A few blocks away, the trio hid behind a sign, Peacock closing her fan as she looked over her shoulder to the sound of barking. “I don’t know how long it will hold but should keep them busy for a few minutes.” She gasped when she heard her miraculous bleep suddenly, touching it carefully. “But I don’t have much time now.”

“What are we going to do then?” Chat asked as he ducked down lower. “I mean, not that I don’t mind the idea of staying here with you beauties all day.”

The girls both shot him a ‘not now’ look before Ladybug jabbed a finger into his side. “We need to work out where the Akuma is before Dark Swan finds Annamarie.”

Peacock flinched at her own name. “Annamarie?”

“The girl Dark Swan is after.” Chat explained through gritted teeth. “Personally, I say we let her.”

“Chat!” Ladybug scolded instantly. “Even I know about Annmarie and while she might be a bully, but she still deserves our protection.” She looked away and mumbled. “As ungrateful as she might be.”

Annmarie tried not to show too much behind her mask. “The headband.” Royal Peacock said, interrupting the conversation about herself. “The akuma… it’s in her headband.”

“Are you sure?” Chat asked as he stood up.

“The Swan Princess’s wings are the most important part of her costume. Otherwise she is just one of the swan maidens.” The others stared at her but she just shrugged. “I like ballet. But the problem will be getting to it when she can turn us into swans with a touch.”

“Right.” Ladybug explained with a nod. “Chat and I will distract her from the ground while you get behind her and take the wings.”

“And how are you going to distract her?” Peacock asked, looking at her fan. “I’ve used up only illusion.” A warning bleep. “And I only have four minutes before I change back.”

Chat frowned. “And if we lose our air support, our goose will be cooked.”

“Then let’s stop talking and get moving. Chat, lead the way, you know where Annamarie is. Peacock, follow from above, don’t let the swans see you.” Ladybug ordered as she stood up and ran to the roof edge, the others doing as told and the peacock soon becoming only a small dot in the sky as she followed her comrades towards the hotel.

“This is going to be close.” She mumbled to herself as she watched the red and black dots jumped down in front of Dark Swan and blocked her army from entering.

“Time to draw the curtains on this performance.” Ladybug called, throwing her yo-yo into the air. “Lucky Charm!” The yo-yo glowed as it created a large loaf of bread that landed in her grip. “What am I going to do with this?”

“Well, I could go for a sandwich?” Chat said as he crouched at her side.

Ladybug glared at him but then her ‘spots vision’ kicked in, highlighting the bread, the swans and Royal Peacock who was dropping into position on a building behind them.

She smiled then opened the wrapper of the bread, grabbing a handful of slices and throwing them at the dancer. “Dinner time birdies!”

True to form, the swans turned to follow the food and swarmed Dark Swan who screamed at the attack, pushing them away from her. Hands busy, Royal Peacock saw her chance and swooped down, grabbing the feathers from her head and dropped it into Ladybug’s waiting hands. “Ladybug!” She shouted as she landed while Ladybug snapped the headband in half.

The Akuma was released, purified and all the damage down rectified, leading to several very confused people.

Ladybug and Chat Noir gave each other a fist bump, Royal Peacock smiling as she watched them from behind. Suddenly Chat blinked and looked at her, holding out his other hand. “Hey, team now, remember? Pound it Feathers.”

Peacock smiled as she quickly lifted her fists and bumped them together. “Pound it Kitty.” Once they had, she turned and walked over to a very confused looking Emilie Garnier as she recovered from her transformation, holding out hand to the girl to help her up. “You know, I’m sure… Annamarie will need someone to help show her the ropes around here. You could always help her out.”

Taking her hand, Emilie stood and looked at the hero. “But… she’s perfect!”

“Trust me, no one’s perfect.” A forth warning bleed and Peacock swallowed, spreading her fan before pausing. “Think about it.” She said, jumping up and taking to the air out of sight. Fortunately her destination wasn’t too far away; just around the back of that very building, slipping in through the open door.

She landed just as the feathers vanished, Froufrou collapsing into her hands in exhaustion. “Well, that was exciting.”

Annamarie sighed as she put the fairy on one side. “Yes… but I don’t think Emilie is going to forgive me. Madam Renou still won’t give her the role.”

“You could always quit?” The fairy recommended.

But her charge shook her head. “It’s the best ballet school in Paris and the only one in the area. And mom worked hard to get me in. I can’t just throw that back in her face because I’m worried about taking the spot light.” She sighed and looked out the window. “My life is anything but simple.”

“Yes, because being who you really are is _sooo_ difficult.” She mocked, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, what did I do to deserve you?”

Annamarie was about to reply when there was a knock at the door. “Hey! Annamarie? It’s Chat Noir.”

She opened the door quickly and looked at the masked man. “Chat.”

“The swans are gone.” He informed her quickly, already turning to leave. “You can go back to whatever you were doing alright?”

“Wait… Chat.” She said, stepping into the hallway.

He turned back to look at her, glaring. “What?”

“What they are saying about me… it’s not true. I’m not the kind of person everyone thinks I am.”

The black masked narrowed in a frown. “Then prove it.” He said then ran away.

She sighed, brushing a hand back over the hairclip. “I will. Somehow.”


	3. Chapter 3 - Eco Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I try and slip in a message about trying to save the planet

#  Chapter 3 - Eco Warrior

"No more evil doing for you little Akuma." Ladybug said proudly as she span her yo-yo to purify the little insect and release a white butterfly. As millions of magical ladybugs were released and fixed the damage done in the latest attack, several fans and reporters surrounded the Ladybug and Chat Noir, asking questions or requesting photos and autographs. Chat basked, as always, in the lime light but Ladybug suddenly realised that there was only two of them and looked around for the third.

Peacock was on a roof, where she had landed in the battle, looking down on them with a smile before turning and spreading her fan out. The red heroine quickly pushed past a few reporters to clear her way then threw out her yo-yo, looking back at them. "Wait here, I'll be back in a moment." She asked before swinging up to the roof. "Hey! Peacock!"

She stopped at the edge and looked over. "Yes?"

"Where you going?"

"Home." She informed her with a casual shrug. "Jobs done so…"

"Yeah but don't you want to meet everyone?" Ladybug looked at her miraculous then touched her own. "We have a few minutes and it would be great to introduce you at last."

The blue woman looked back at the crowd, most of them taking photos of the posing Chat but some were looking up at them. "I… I don't know."

"Come on, they don't bite." The other laughed before running and jumping back down to the press. Royal Peacock took a moment then plucked up the courage and ran after her, gliding down to the crowd.

Somehow she managed to land in the small gap between Chat and Ladybug without crashing and was soon blinded by camera's taking photo after photo. Embarrassed she hid behind Chat and used her fan to cover her face.

Ladybug stepped out and held up her hands, quickly quietening the crowd. "Everyone! As you may have noticed, the last few weeks we have had a new alley helping us." She turned to see her friend hiding behind the cat and smiled. "This is Royal Peacock and with her help, we will do everything within our powers to continue protecting Paris. I hope you will welcome her as much as you have welcomed us!"

As the cameras worked hard to try get a photo of the new hero, Peacock just hid a little more. Chat rolled his eyes before stepping to the side and pushed her forwards to the masses. The girl turned bright red with embarrassment and lifted her fan, using it to cool her burning face. The best she could do was a shy wave before hearing someone shout out 'what's your power!?'

Ladybug nudged her slightly. "Come on, Peacock. Show them."

She glanced at her then swallowed and looked at her fan, lifting it into the air and allowing it to glow, summoning the magic and calling out the words. "Feather Illusion!"

The soft blue light washed over the crowd and slowly flowers began to grow from the pavement at their feet, blooming in a range of colours while the air was filled with gentle petals, floating down in the wind, the smell sweet and pure. Ladybug herself was amazed, she'd only seen small illusions before, nothing this large or real. She caught a petal as it floated past and blinked as she rubbed it in her fingers. It felt so real.

"Peacock." She whispered.

The other blushed and lowered her arm, the flowers fading away as she did. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Ladybug opened her mouth to speak but then heard three familiar bleeps looked at each other's miraculous. "We need to go." She said.

Chat nodded but they still spared a moment for one last photo of the three of them before they flew, jumped or ran off in different directions.

Once far enough away, Marinette turned back and began the slow walk back home before her phone rang. "Hey Alya."

"Hey girl!" She answered, excitement clear in her voice. "You are not going to believe who I just met!"

"Ladybug?" Marinette made a wild guess. After all, who else would Alya call her about?

"Yes but also that new one! The one I was telling you about at school! She goes by the name Royal Peacock and she's amazingly shy! I mean, she was so adorable, hiding behind Chat! But she has this power… and she made all these flowers appear and I could not believe they weren't real. I'm sorry you missed it! It was amazing!"

Marinette smiled to herself as she remembered the sight of Peacock's power. She'd never seen it so powerful before and so beautiful. "Sorry I missed it." she said to her friend.

"It's alright. I recorded it for you. I'm uploading it to the Ladyblog now so…."

"Thanks. Got to go, got to do my homework."

"Alright, talk to you later girl!"

Putting the phone down and hanging up, Marinette continued walking, rounding a corner and narrowly avoiding Chloe, Sabrina and Annamarie, all three of them holding smoothie cups as they walked in the other direction. Chloe frowned at her classmate, brushing down her front from none existent dirt. "Watch where you are going Dupain-Cheng. You almost knocked me over."

Marinette sighed as she tried to get around the group but made the mistake of trying to get past Annamarie who blocked her path. "Hey, you could at least apologises for bumping into her."

"What? You bumped into me as much as I bumped into you!"

"I don't care." The brunette huffed. "Apologise."

Looking at Chloe, Marinette sighed. "Sorry."

"Good." Annamarie sneered, letting her pass. "And watch where you are going next time, baker."

Rolling her eyes, Marinette continued onwards and muttered a 'whatever' as she did. The brown haired girl clearly didn't approve and turned to look at her back and lifted her cup. Before any of them knew it, she dumped the content of her drink over the dark haired girl.

Chloe and Sabrina gasped in amazement at the act before beginning to laugh as Marinette turned around, soaked in lemonade. Annamarie smiled at her and shrugged dramatically. "Oops. Guess your clumsiness is contagious Marinette. Sorry."

Marinette was just about to speak but the trio turned back on her, Chloe congratulating her friend as they did. The other girl just stood as the sweet liquid dripped off her hair and stuck to her clothes. It was taking everything in her power not to break down and cry there in the street.

Tikki carefully opened the purse and looked up. "Marinette?" She whispered.

"I… I want to go home." She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve, turning back and beginning to walk home.

The next day, Chloe spent most of the day insisting that Annamarie came to her father's hotel after school and after hours of pleading, she agreed, climbing into the Bourgeois' car and headed across town, pulling up outside the building with the porter quickly stepping over to open the door, allowing the two young women out. "So anyway, daddy has this really rich baron staying at the hotel… and his son is _like_ super cute. You have got to meet them."

Annamarie smiled as she walked beside her friend before noticing something on the other side of the road; a young woman with dark ginger hair on a box with a megaphone she was shouting into, a lot of people just walking past without noticing. "What's with that?" She asked, nodding over.

Chloe looked as well before groaning and stormed over to the protestor. "Not you again. Look, I thought you were told to move along."

The protestor in a dark green jacket glared at them. "You can't stop me from speaking the truth! Baron Paren is responsible for the devastation of over 400 miles of forest and who knows how many animals died because his actions?"

The mayor's daughter flicker her hair back. "P-lease. Who cares about some stupid animals?"

"They aren't stupid!" She shouted, jumping down to Chloe's face, pointing at her. "They are majestic wonderful creatures."

"Yeah well who cares." Chloe chuckled. "All I care about is getting you and your little toy megaphone away from my daddies hotel."

"You're just as bad as Paren!"

Chloe staggered back a step but Annamarie quickly got between the pair and pushed the other back. "Hey! Hippie! Take a hint and leave. Go and hug a tree or something before we have to call the police."

The protestor glared at her, judging her choices then with an angry huff before collecting her box and stormed off down the road while the other laughed and went back to the hotel to hang out. She frowned at the pair of them, walking away into the park where she slumped down under a tree, watching people around her as some young boy finish off a chocolate bar and drop a wrapper, despite the bin being right next to him.

She frowned, gripping her megaphone tighter, about to shout at him to pick it up when she paused and turned away. "What's the point? Nothing's going to change."

Far away, the window opened, illuminating a masked figure. "Wishing to change the world but unable to take action? What perfect material to mould my Akuma with." Hawk Moth smirked, cupping a white butterfly and turning it into a black Akuma before releasing it over Paris, off to find the protestor as she slumped, head down in defeat before a small fluttering butterfly settled on her megaphone, vanishing into it.

_"Eco Warrior, I am Hawk Moth. I will give you the power to create the world you wish for and all I ask in return is the miraculous of Ladybug, Chat Noir and Peacock. What do you say?"_

"It takes power to change the world." She said with a smile, accepting the offer.

A dark miasma consumed her before leaving a woman with dark green skin and flowers growing all over her body, her megaphone now bright red and the speaker shaped like the petals of a flower. She grinned then pointed the device at a nearby trash can, pulling the trigger. A ring of green light shot out and warped the can into a tree covered with vines.

With a triumphant smirk, Eco Warrior headed off towards her target. The Le Grand Paris.

Inside the hotel, Annamarie was trying so hard to be polite to the baron and his son but all either of them wanted to talk about was how much money they had and how they spent it. This was perfect material for Chloe who almost threw herself at the baron's handsome son, saying how she appreciated everything he and his father were doing.

Annamarie couldn't help but roll her eyes at how someone who swore love to one Adrian Agreste could flirt so directly with someone else but she held her tongue. They were in the middle of having tea and cake when the room went dark all of a sudden. The group all turned to look at the windows but all they could see were thick vines as they grew up and over the glass. Annamarie glanced around before spotting a small window that remained uncovered, running over to it and looking out.

Below, the road had become a forest while a brightly coloured woman firing at the building, causing the mass sudden growth of plants, laughing as she turned anything her flower megaphone shaped device was aimed at into flowers or trees. Annamarie frowned then turned back to the others. "We have to get out of here! Now! The main entrance is blocked, is there another way out?"

The mayor nodded. "Down through the kitchen."

"Come on then." She ordered, already moving.

Chloe frowned as they ran. "What's going on?"

"At a guess? That protestor we met outside has been akumatised. And I'm pretty sure she's after us."

"Why do you think that?" The baron asked as they headed towards the lift just before it snapped open revealing a line of vines that snaked down the hallway towards them.

Annamarie gulped as she backed away from the vines. "Call it a hunch." She said before they began to run.

The mayor looked around then opened a door to the side revealing some stairs. "Quickly, this way!"

Chloe, Paren and his son all followed but Annamarie stayed in the hall, watching the vines creep forward. "You go. I'll lead them away."

"But…"

"Come on daddy! Just run!" Chloe shouted and they began down the stairs.

The dancer slammed the door shut just as the plant got to the opening and for a moment she was sure the green snake like plant looked at her before she darted the other way, hopping into a room and opening her bag, Froufrou flying to her. "No rest." She complained.

"Sorry Frou." She smiled. "Froufrou, feathers up!"

Seconds later, Royal Peacock left the room and found the vines had covered every surface making it look like a jungle with small pink flower buds dotted around the place. She gave them a wary look just as a door down the hallway opened and a couple of tourists stepped out, the man's elbow brushing against one.

Instantly it burst into bloom and released a fine red pollen that covered them both and seconds later, they fell to the floor in a heap. Quickly, Peacock ran over to check they were alright but both were breathing and their pulse was strong. "Alright." She decided, stepping away. "Avoid the flowers." She began to move, avoiding the vines and flowers as best she could as she headed to a fire escape, working her way up then jumping into the air, using her aerial view to check out the surrounding area. Every road, building and car had been covered in grass or transformed into a tree and some were completely unrecognisable from what they had been before. Worse was all around her were the same pink flowers growing in them and people lying on the ground from the knock out pollen.

She suddenly noticed a black cat and a red lady knelt by one of the people, reaching to check a pulse. "What happened to them?" Ladybug asked just as she touched a flower, causing it to bloom but Peacock suddenly tackled her and pulled her back a second before she inhaled the pollen.

"Careful!" She warned as they stood back up and watched as the pollen was blown safely away by the wind. "Whatever you do, **_don't_** touch the flowers. That pollen will knock you out as soon as you inhale it and a single touch sets them off." She looked over the building as it was slowly engulfed in flowers and vines. "The victim is a protestor who is after a rich baron staying at the hotel. She's already inside so we need to hurry."

"How'd you know that?" Chat asked.

"I passed here earlier and heard her talking. She had a good point. I mean, we can save the world from akumas. But humans have to save the world just as much." She said with a sigh. "Come on. We have to save them."

The trio entered the hotel as carefully as they could, looking over the foray as they search for the akuma or the victims. Ladybug looked around with a trained eye. "Stay close."

Chat and Peacock nodded as they headed towards the nearest door, eyes and ears sharp for their opponent while Ladybug opened the door to the dining room and looked around. "Clear." She whispered, moving on.

Peacock stayed close to the wall as she headed for the kitchen doors, knowing that was where the others would come out from and pushing them open slowly. "Guys." She called the other two over.

Inside were four human sized trees, their bark twisted in a way that almost looked like a face, whatever hair they had before was now leaves or vines and their arms were branches.

"Oh no." Ladybug said, walking over to them. "This... this looks like the mayor."

"And this one like that Chloe girl." Chat said, looking at the screaming face of a young girl, transformed into wood.

“I’m guessing these two are the baron and his son.”

As they inspected the trees, Peacock peeked back out into the hotel restaurant and gasped when she saw the akuma on the other side of the glass, shooting her transforming ray at the tables and chairs. "Guys, over here."

They pressed up to the window and watched before Ladybug nodded. "Bet the akuma is in her gun… thing."

"It’s a megaphone. But how are we going to get close?" Chat wondered as they ducked back down. "Not sure about you two but I don't fancy becoming a scratching post."

Ladybug and Royal Peacock rolled their eyes at the horrible attempt at humour and then began to think of the strategy to get the akuma away from her. Glancing around the kitchen they were hiding in, it was Peacock who eventually smiled and looked at the two others. "I might have a plan." She said then moved over to whisper it to them. As they listened the others gave an agreeing nod before they ran out the doors to confront Eco Warrior, catching her by surprise.

"Stick to the plan." Ladybug reminded them, looking at her surroundings. The whole restaurant had now been changed into a literal urban jungle and those flowers were everywhere. Eco Warrior turned to face them but with three targets, she couldn’t target them all, Chat and Peacock acting as the distraction while Ladybug got behind and with a swing of her yo-yo, she tried to wrap the wire around the megaphone but in her back swung, she knocked one of the flower.

Close enough to see it, Peacock didn't hesitate in running for her and knocked her away just before the pollen got too close. The two girls rolled painfully into a wall but there was no time for thanks as they soon got back up again, hurrying to avoid the vines attempting to wrap around their legs and bind them.

Across the room, Chat was using baton to hack at the plants coming towards him. "Feathers! Could do with a paw here!"

The peacock nodded as she ducked under a transforming ray then lifted up her fan into the air. "Feather illusion!" The pearls of light drifted from the fans eyes before slowly settling on the ground and bursting into flames.

Eco Warrior nearly screamed as she saw her plants begin to burn and turned to try and extinguish the flames, her gun pointed at the fire as dirt smothered it. As she did, the black cat was able to get free of his corner and over to his friends, the three splitting up to different parts of the room, surrounding her. The akuma finally put the last of the fire out before looking back at them but her attention was only on Peacock. "You'd burn my plants!" She shouted then lifted her weapon, firing right at the blue female’s feet.

Peacock tried to get back but she was too slow and in seconds a human sized Venus fly trap had grown below her and snapped up, consuming her.

"Chat! Get her out!" Ladybug shouted as she ran to engage the akuma.

Chat didn't have to say anything apart from a loud cry of 'Cataclysm', black lightning forming in his paw as he slammed it hard against the base of the plant.

The solidified bad luck power coursed through the fly trap and it turning brown and crumbled, Peacock released once more but her body was covered in a thick slime and she almost collapsed forward coughing.

Chat slowly set her on the ground. "Feathers?"

"I... I'm okay. Help... Ladybug."

He nodded and moved to go and help her but a loud bleeping alerted him to the fact that he and Peacock had just used their powers and they were going to run out of time. Ladybug must have also realised it as she backed away and threw her yo-yo into the air. "Lucky charm!" She shouted.

The magic created an odd gardening like device with a three pronged claw at the end of a chain. "What am I meant to do with this?" She asked it, giving the chain an experimental swing.

Eco Warrior laughed. "Soon, Ladybug, you won't be wasting the precious oxygen of this planet but helping create it!" She lifted her weapon but did not aim at her but to the ceiling. At that moment the many pink flowers around the room began to bloom, a large cloud of pollen forming before the villain.

Ladybug gulped and stepped back as the pollen grew bigger until it took up most of the room.

"My lady!" Chat shouted but he was pinned down by the growing ball as well. Neither of them could move as it crept forwards.

Suddenly the ball moved backwards, away from them and collided with Eco Warrior herself. She gasped in shock and inhaled it, causing her to groan groggily before she collapsed forwards to the floor.

The others looked to see a slightly sticky looking Peacock smiling at them, her fan in hand. "A fan’s still a fan." She said, closing it. "Do you think you can use that lucky charm to get the megaphone away? The pollen won't dissipate in this room without a serious breeze."

Ladybug smiled and used the sickle to latch onto the fallen item and drag it away from the pollen. Once there, she stepped on it and shattered the weapon to release the akuma. "No more evil doing for you little Akuma." Ladybug said proudly as she span her yo-yo to purify the little insect and release a white butterfly.

She then tossed the sickle in the air, the lucky charm releasing millions of magical ladybugs that got to work on fixing the damage, restoring the hotel to its previous state, changing the trees in the kitchen to human form while reviving any who had been knocked out by the pollen.

A young protestor was restored to her normal form and woke from her sleep with a confused ‘where am I?’ while the three heroes smiled at each other. "Pound it!” they all said bumping fists.

Just then their Miraculous beeped, causing the three to jump a little. Ladybug smiled at her friends. "See you for patrol?"

"You know it bugaboo."

Peacock gave him a poke in the arm. "Don't think I owe you one for saving me today or something."

Chat smirked. "Oh? Believe me birdy, you _do_ owe me one. But let’s talk about pay back later.”

He didn’t give her chance to reply as he turned and quickly hurried to a window with Ladybug and vanished but Peacock just went into a nearby room and released her transformation and placed her kwami in her bag. Heading out, she put on a shocked worried expression when she ‘happened’ over her friend. “Chloe! You’re alright!”

“Annamarie! What happened to you!”

“This pollen… knocked me out! I woke up on the floor. What about you?”

She huffed. “You won’t believe this but I got turned into a tree!” She turned sharply on the spot, facing the protestor. “And its all your fault!”

“Mademoiselle Chloe.” A young man said with a frown. “It is not her fault.”

“But Adam…”

*Adam held up his hand to the blonde and turned away from her, going to the protestor. “I saw you outside. I’ve been listening to you from my room and I have to say I agree with you.”

“You… you do?” She said, slightly amazed.

“Yes. My father’s methods in business are out dated and the consequences of our actions need to be considered.” He held out his hand to her. “Perhaps we can spend some more time together and maybe come up with a plan of action?”

The restored protestor smiled and took his hand, shaking it gently. “Sure. I’m sure we can come up with something.”

“Over dinner maybe?” He asked with a smile. “On me, of course.”

As the two began to talk and pass around ideas, Annamarie smiled at them and couldn’t help but think how they suited each other. Chloe was off complaining to her father and the dancer just slipped out, heading home but as she walked down the road, she spotted an old crisp wrapped that had been dropped.

Smiling, she knelt down, picked it up and threw it perfectly into the open mouth of a waiting bin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! Great news! Zero kami no mu has agreed to help with writing the battles! Don't get me wrong, Knowlee is still going to be helping out but since they are so busy with real life, its hard to balance.
> 
> But with Zero kami no mu agreeing to help, you can expect the next update much sooner! on the condition that this chapter gets 5 reviews! So don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4 - Louie Alard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Chat gets Catted and Silence isn't always golden

**Chapter 4 - Louie Alard**

 

Annamarie let out a soft sigh as she stretched her leg out on the bar before her, feeling her muscles ease around her as she stood alone in the dance studio. Continuing with her warm up, she looked at her reflection and smiled. It had been a few weeks since she had moved to Paris and she was finally beginning to settle into life in the city; she went to school and would hang out with Chloe and Sabrina both in class and at the weekend, even having agreed to meet up for a movie after her training that day.

All the while, she had almost managed to settle into her role protecting Paris from Hawk Moth with the others but getting used to the idea of being a superhero was a lot harder than she expected. The others had arranged a training routine as well as a meeting point for their almost nightly patrols. 

And on top of school and hero, she was working hard in the ballet as well, her new company still treating her with distain as the outsider who had stolen the top spot but they could not deny her talent and skill and tried extra hard to perform to her level. She loved every chance she got to rehearse with the company but today she had been asked to wait alone in a side studio while everyone else was in main practice room, yet the peace gave her chance to concentrate on her warm up. 

“Annamarie.”

The dancer turned suddenly at the call of her name, looking over at her instructor before walking over to her. “Yes Madam Renou?”

Her teacher nodded at her then turned to the side, revealing she was not alone. “I would like to introduce you to Louie Alard, our male lead here. He’s been away at a contest for a few weeks now but it’s about time you two met and began practicing for the show together.”

Annamarie looked quickly over to the other with a grin. He was clearly a little older than herself, two years at most, with stylish jet black hair and dark wide eyes, dressed for training in tight black trousers and a white vest top but he had a kindness to him as he smiled at her and held out his hand towards her.

Shaking it, she smiled at him. “I look forward to working with you Louie.”

His eyes widened a little and he stood up a bit straighter but just nodded.

Renou also nodded. “Well then, shall we begin? You two have a lot to learn. We will start with the pas de deux from Act II today. We are going to challenge both of you with this chorography but I am certain you will be able to handle it.” She stepped into the middle of the room, turned on a CD player and went on to demonstrate the moves to the music, calling out their names, the dancers watching in silence as she did.

Once they had observed, they were tested on how much they remembered and the madam was impressed. As they danced, even when she knew it called for an emotionless, solemn expression, Annamarie couldn’t stop smiling! Back in England, the male lead had always been rough with her but Louie was far from that. He supported her in just the right places and moved with her like they had danced a hundred times before, knowing just where she needed to be held. She was amazed by how gentle he was and how skilled.

They got half way before forgetting the steps and they both forgot at the same point. 

After that, they were reminded and had to memorise it before practicing over and over again leaving the two exhausted and sore by the time the madam dismissed them but both smiled as they parted.

After a quick shower, Annamarie changed and hurried to the exit of the school, stopping on the top step to text Chloe to let her know she was done. As she waited, she spotted Louie leaving, now wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue shirt, a jacket over his shoulder and a backpack on his back. He looked at her then smiled, walking over. 

She smiled back at him. “It was great meeting you today Louie.”

He nodded and scratched the back of his neck just as a white vehicle pulled up and a blonde climbed out. “Annamarie!”

The dancer looked over at the call and grinned. “Hey Chloe.”

“Are you ready to go?” The mayor’s daughter asked she came closer then her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, who’s your friend?”

“This is Louie, my partner in the ballet.”

Chloe smiled and held out her hand to him. “Chloe Bourgeois. Delighted to meet you Louie.”

Louie took her hand and nodded slightly. “N… n-nice t-t-to me-meet you?” He said before frowning and looking away.

Chloe stared at him, as did Annamarie. They had been in the studio all day and she had not heard him speak once. But Chloe suddenly burst out laughing at him, a high pitched artificial laugh. “S-sorry?” She mocked. “What d-did you s-say?”

Louie blushed and quickly removed his hand from her grip, frowning to himself but Annamarie gave her friend a sharp glare. “Chloe. Stop.” She stated firmly. “He’s an amazing dancer and I am lucky to have him so don’t even DARE insult him again. Understood?”

The Bourgeois gulped then nodded. “Alright. But it’s still funny. I mean…”

She was cut off by another glare and quickly decided to get into the car. As Annamarie got in, couldn’t help herself as she looked over at Louie with a silent apology then closed the door and the two headed off for the cinema.. 

The boy watched as the car moved away then lowered his head and began his own walk home. He wasn’t used to people standing up for him over his stammer, just accepting it as part of his life yet he couldn’t help but smile, remembering his training with the new Prima. She was… beautiful and skilled and… so perfect. Yet he frowned as he looked away. Why would she like a guy who couldn’t put a sentence together? He sighed again, heading off home but not before putting on his headphones and loading up a speech correction programme. They never worked but he had to keep trying.

~#~

The window opened and Hawk Moth was greeted by the sunlight once more. “Oh, unable to put words in order to speak what’s on your mind? Well, allow me to give you the words.” He cupped a butterfly, turning it dark and setting it free.

Louie sighed to himself, listening to his vocal couching programme before pulling the headphones out, giving up on it. “P-p-pointless.” He whispered, reaching out to a flower shop he was passing and listing up a dark red rose, thinking about how he’d love to give it to his new partner, as a gift. But he’d never be able tell her why. 

As the flower was lowered, a small black butterfly was absorbed inside and his eyes lit up with a dark purple butterfly mask.

_“Silencer, I am Hawk Moth. I will ensure everyone will mock your voice ever again. And all I ask for in return is the miraculous of Ladybug, Chat Noir and Peacock. So? What do you say?”_

Louie couldn’t help but smile as he nodded before a black miasma consumed and transformed him. What was left was a man with black hair with a white streak in the middle, wearing a golden formal tuxedo complete with bow tie and lighter gold shirt and dark trousers while hanging from his shoulders was a short cape. His mask was gilded, painted to his face in an almost heart shape. He smirked, twisting a now golden rose in his fingers before walking down the road, smiling with a new confidence at any he passed. 

The silencer walked for a bit before noticing some photographers on the other side of the road, waiting excitingly outside a building. Casually, he sauntered over and joined them, waiting for a moment before a famous model, the renown Adrian Agreste and retired model, turned actor, Wilfred Bélanger stepped out, the two of them surprised by the audience. The actor, with clean cut black hair in a blue suit jacket and tie smiled as the reporters instantly started shouted out questions to the pair of them but the actor held out a hand to silence them and amazingly they did. “Ladies, gentlemen.” He said, voice smooth and calm. “While it is always great to speak to you all, I must request that you give myself and Adrian some privacy, if only for today.”

Silencer smiled as he reached up to his bow tie and adjusted it before pointing the rose at the model. Wilfred opened his mouth to continue talking but nothing came out, choking on his words.

“Sorry? Mr Bélanger, can you repeat that?”

Again, nothing came out, reaching up to his neck as if trying to find his voice. At his side, Adrian Agreste held his elbow as the man rubbed his throat. “Hey Wilfred? Are you alright?”

The man turned to him then opened his mouth. “Of course I am.” Came his voice but not from the man himself. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The reporters and model all turned to where the voice was coming from, a golden dressed character playing with a rose and smiling. “And may I thank you for your donation Mr Bélanger. With a voice like this, Annamarie will be hanging on my every word.” He smiled then threw the rose in his hand suddenly to the ground, a cloud of smoke erupting out from it, making anyone who inhaled it choking until they too fell silent, gasping but unable to speak.

As the smoke came closer to him, Adrian turned and shot off as fast as he could, going back into the café he’d come out of, shutting the door and saving himself from the silencing smoke. Once sure it wasn’t going to hurt him, he peaked out of a window, watching as the smoke began to fade and the reporters were left waving their arms mutely in the air while the Akuma walked away into the distance, not bothered at all by anyone tried to stop him. 

He frowned as he released Plagg from his pocket. “He said Annamarie… I bet he’s after Annamarie Tolrana.”

“So… we going to go save her? Again?”

“Guess so. Plagg, claws out!”

~#~

Annamarie stared off into the ground while Chloe talked and talked about how amazing the film they were going to see was but the dancer didn’t reply, too busy thinking to pay attention. As she paused and noticed there wasn’t a reply, the mayor’s daughter blinked. “Hey? Are you listening to me?”

The brunette looked up suddenly. “Sorry?”

“Ah! You’re not listening to me. What’s wrong?”

“Louie.”

The teen laughed suddenly. “Oh? Come on, you’re not still thinking about that stammering freak are you?”

“Watch it Chloe. How would you like it if I started insulting Sabrina? Or Ladybug? Or Adrian?” She said, ice in her voice. 

The other bit her lip and looked away. “Sorry.”

Leaning on her hands, Annamarie stared at the table. “You should be.”

As Chloe opened her mouth to speak again, a scream came from down the road and the two looked to see what the cause was, observing a dashing dressed stranger walking towards them, smiling as he stopped and bowed forward, holding out his rose. “Annamarie.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Silencer.” He said, still smiling, eyes only on hers.

Chloe huffed and crossed her arms. “Silencer? Well then, why don’t you just be silent somewhere else and leave us alone.”

The Silencer frowned at her. “Oh? What’s wrong? Don’t you like my new voice?” He teased then span the rose in his fingers and pointed at the girl. “Well, maybe you will like hearing your own?” He said, his voice now that of the blonde.

Chloe’s jaw dropped and she began to talk but not a sound came out, causing her to panic, clutching her throat and looking as if she was screaming. Silencer laughed as he stood upright but Annamarie stood from her seat and got between the pair. “Why are you doing this?”

“So no one will ever mock me for stammering again!” He answered in Chloe’s voice. “I’m tired of being teased and taunted just because I couldn’t put a sentence together.”

Her eyes widened. “Louie?”

“No. I’m Silencer!” He said having lifted the rose up and reverting to the male voice with a smile. “But, you don’t have to fear me Annamarie. You’re not like everyone else. You actually defended me from this… pig!” 

Chloe, who had been silently shouting at them, suddenly jumped back when a loud ‘oink’ came from her mouth. “Oink oink oink!” She said before covering her mouth, tears coming down her face.

Annamarie stared at her for a moment then turned to the Akuma victim. “Louie, please, you have to stop this. This isn’t you!”

“But… don’t you like my new voice?” He asked in the male one he’d stolen, clearly hurt. “I… I’ll find another if you don’t.” 

“Please, Louie, stop this.”

He frowned at her. “Why? Don’t… don’t you don’t like this voice, do you? Well, don’t worry, I will search the whole of Paris for the perfect voice.” He reached out for her hand, lifting it to his lips and kissed the back. “Come, together we will find the voice I am meant to have.”

He began to run away down the street, Annamarie pulled along behind him but they were stopped when a long pole shot out over the road and blocked his path. Chat Noir held it casually as it returned to his hand. “Sorry but I’m going to have to ask you let the girl go.”

Silencer glared at him as he let go of her. “Annamarie, get out of here. I’ll find you when I’ve put the cat out.”

She knew she needed to stay there but Peacock was needed more. So, she ran, grabbing Chloe and dragging her back into the cinema they had been sat outside. She headed to the nearest doors and pushed her friend inside. “Stay here Chloe. You don’t want to end up sounding like a mouse.” 

“Oink! Oink oink oink oink!”

Annamarie closed the door on her and blocked it before she headed to an ‘employee’s only’ area. Froufrou shot out and stared at her. “I don’t like the sound of this one Annamarie.”

“Nor do I. Come on, we need to help Chat.” She nodded then touched her hair slide. “Froufrou, feathers up!”

~#~

Outside, Chat jumped back, dodging the punch Silencer sent at him. “What’s wrong? Is that all you can do? Wave a flower around and make smoke?” He teased, backing off from another strike. “Boring! I’ve met akuma with way stupider powers than you and they were way harder to battle.” Chat taunted, jumping back again. 

He moved his right arm towards the left shoulder before raising it in the air, about to shout out for his Cataclysm and managed to get only the first part of the word out before Silencer pointed his rose at Chat, causing a cloud of smoke to envelop the cat, clearing right as Peacock came over head, managing to get a bird's eye view of the battle. 

Peacock gasped in horror as her ally was surrounded in the smoke and staggered backwards, her vantage point giving her no idea what had happened but she knew something had happened. Chat clearly discovered whatever was wrong and after a moment ran off in the other direction, leaving Silencer to continue on his path.

The bird followed him from the air until he stopped, hiding behind a sign post. “Chat!” She called, landing at his side. “What happened? Are you alright? Did he get you?”

Chat looked at her but didn’t say anything yet there was a clear blush on his cheeks.

Peacock stepped a little closer. “Chat? What’s wrong?” She asked, even more concerned.

He stared at her then dropped his eyes. “Meow.”

The teen froze. “Wh… what did you just say?”

“Meow. Meow meow meow meow meow.” He said in a cute kitten like voice.

She tried. Oh boy did she try. But the smile broke her face and before she knew it she was bent over in laughter, clutching her sides as they began to ache. 

The cat didn’t look impressed, just crossed his arms and waited for her to stop but she didn’t, even when Ladybug came onto the scene and looked very confused. “Peacock? What’s wrong? What are you laughing at?”

“Ask… Chat!” She managed between laughing.

Ladybug looked at the black cat and frowned. “Chat?”

He glanced at her then looked away. “Meow.”

As Peacock had, Ladybug froze then burst out laughing.

Doubly embarrassed and doubly annoyed, Chat began tapping his boot against the ground and glared at his so called friends. “Meow!” He said angrily. “Meow meow meow meow meow!”

“I’m sorry.” Ladybug said after a few giggles. “I… I just can’t… you sound…”

“MEOW!” He shouted but it just sounded even cuter and sent both even further into hysterics.

It was the screams, and sudden cut off of the screams, of those innocents below that made them stop and finally pay attention. Ladybug ran to the edge of the roof and looked out. “Alright so whatever this akuma is, it can clearly mess with our voices.”

Peacock nodded. “I saw it. Chat was about to summon Cataclysm when suddenly Silencer threw his rose at him and now….” She cut herself off with a grin that the cat did not return. “But I don’t know how we can defeat something when… if we get too close, we might end up sounding like a peacock.”

Chat looked about ready to comment when he remembered his situation and just stayed silent.

“Any idea on where the Akuma is?”

“Could be the rose or his bow tie, he keeps touching it. I’m not sure.”

“Chat?” 

The cat looked at them, thought about it then pointed to his fingers. “Meow meow.” He said sweetly.

“I think that means rose.” Peacock said, trying not to laugh.

“Right then. Let’s go. And Peacock, remember, don’t speak to him.”

“I’ll try.” She sighed, running to the edge of the building and throwing herself into the air, sweeping high while Ladybug and Chat made their way across the roofs back towards their target as he headed off in search for the perfect voice. 

Dropping down to street level and hiding in an alleyway, Ladybug and Chat looked at each other before looking at the akuma before each other and nodded, Ladybug pointing at Peacock while she was still in the air then pointed down at Silencer. Understanding the instruction, Peacock turned to the right and began a sharp dive for Silencer from behind, in hopes of catch him off guard.

However, just as she got behind him, her shadow covered him and he turned, looking up at her and blocking her attack, turning and pointing his rose at her, the smoke shooting out but she just tipped her guilder back upwards, flying back to the roof of a building, glaring down at the masked man, staring at him.

Hold on in there Louie. She thought to him as Ladybug and Chat came at him from their hiding place and once they had engaged him, she dropped down as well. The akuma managed to hold his own against the three of them and laughed as they back off again from the smoke. “Aw, what’s wrong?” He teased, using Chat’s own voice. “Cat got your tongue?”

“MEOW!” Chat said loudly but as a kitten. 

Peacock frowned as she looked around, spotting Ladybug doing the same, still trying to think of a way out. Oddly, Silencer had gone around in a circle and come back to the cinema where Annamarie had been before the battle and from the way he looking at the building, he was planning on going into it. _Probably thinks I’m inside._ She thought then bit her lip and blinked, turning and grabbing Ladybug’s arm, running into the building as fast as she could, pointing at Chat then that the akuma, hoping he got the ‘hold him back’ message.

They ran into the building and closed the door behind them. “We don’t have long. I have a plan.” Peacock explained, looking at a screen above the cashier.

“What is it?”

“If he can’t hear us, he can’t steal our voices.”

“How we going to do that?”

She nodded to a door for a theatre. “The cinema. The films. They get so loud you can barely hear yourself let alone others. We need to get him into the cinema!”

“Peacock you’re a geni…” She was cut off when Chat came flying through the door, back flipping down the hallway before landing on all fours, staff in hand.

“Meeeeeoww!” He said with a smile before remembering his predicament.

Silencer pushed the doors open and smiled at the three heroes. “Now now…” He said with a purr. “I do think I’ve found the perfect voice for my Annamarie.”

The Peacock glared at him before charging down the halls, the others behind her, counting the screens. Screens 2 and 4 were showing some romantic movie so that would never work. Screen 1 was a horror film which might work but often had silent moments to build tension. Too risky. But screen 3 had an epic science fiction film playing with lots of lasers and battles of constant sounds. 

Pointing to the door, they headed quickly inside and were greeted by the epic space battle. Silencer was soon to follow but once he entered, he frowned at the noise and glared at the images, pointing the rose at the screen but the film kept going with nothing changed. 

Peacock smiled at her comrade and lifted up her fan. “Feather illusion!” She called, her voice only just audible over the lasers on the screen. The seats watching the show had long been evacuated when an akuma had appeared outside but with the magic, they were suddenly all filled again and filled with the worst kind of movie goers. Chatters.

The noise in the room suddenly tripled and Silencer just growled as he attempted to focus on the heroes, only to be able to hear another sound joining in on the din as Chat began to meow loudly, as he joined in with the noise from the screen and from the audience, a wide grin on his face as he jumped from seat to seat over the illusionary crowd.

The villain growled annoyingly and pressed his free hand to his head to try and block out the noise but then jumped back to dodge as Chat lunged at him and the rose, forcing him closer the wall at the back of the room where the screen was and where Ladybug as she hid in the shadows with her lucky charm, a iPod and headphones with one song on a loop; the classic Beethoven's 5th.

As Silencer backed off, forced towards her by Peacock and Chat, his attention purely on them so he didn’t notice Ladybug was missing until something knocked his hat off and he felt something press on his ears at the same moment that the famous “da da da daaaa” pounded into his head.

Reaching up to try and remove the device, the loud music distracted Silencer long enough for Chat snap forwards and grab the rose from his hands, turning flamboyantly and presenting it Ladybug with a wide smirk and a playful ‘Mee-owww?’ Clearly meant to be him saying ‘My Lady.’

Both Ladybug and Peacock rolled their eyes but once they had, Ladybug purified the akuma after breaking the rose. Once that was done, the headphones were recovered and sent into the air with a loud ‘LUCKY CHARM!’ and the magic washed over them all, especially Chat who smiled and stretched out with a deep breath and a grin getting bigger by the second.

“Chat… no.” Ladybug warned, knowing just what the cat was up to.

“Chat yes.” He smirked. “Guess we de-flowered him.”

Oddly, both woman cringed before Peacock pointed at him. “Chat, you do know what ‘de-flowered’ means right?”

The cat paused then gulped. “I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!”

They were fortunately saved from the embarrassing mistake when the freed, Louie Alard sat back on his knees and looked around him. “W-where am I?” He asked before noticing the three superheroes before him. “L-la-ladyb-b-bug?” He stammered before looking away.

The three glanced at him before Chat blinked. “Oh.” 

Peacock however just smiled and walked over to him, kneeling before him and reaching out to cup his cheek with her gloved hand, looking eye to eye as she did. Then, without a word, winked and walked back to her friends. 

Chat jabbed his thumb over behind him. “What was that all about?”

“Oh, just a little magic to stop him stammering.” She said with a shrug before sprinting out of the theatre with her comrades following tight behind. 

Down below, a member of staff from the cinema came over to the young man and held his shoulder. “You alright there son?” He asked lightly. “Anyone I can call for you?”

“I’m alright.” He said then blinked and touched his voice. “Wait… I’m alright thank you very much.” He said before looking up at the door where the three heroes had hurried out. “Thank you so much Peacock.”

Outside the cinema, the trio stopped and looked down on the cinema. “Hey.” Ladybug said, confused as they watched the boy being lead away. “Can you really do magic like that?”

Peacock laughed. “Course not. But he doesn’t know that.” She looked down at her partner. “I had a hunch his problem was more confidence than anything else.” She smiled then took to the air once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Long time I know but I did warn you, Turning a Feather would need a lot of time between updates. My team and I are working hard to make sure it’s just right for you all. Next chapter (Peregrine) might be a while, I'm stuck on the fight. Yeah, I'm sure you are fed up of hearing me whine about battles but THEY ARE SUPER HARD TO WRITE! If it weren't for Knowlee and Zero, this story wouldn't have even gone past chapter 1 let alone 4!  
> Oh and a Special thanks to Fan Fiction’s huoairbender1 for their help with the ballet. Turns out, I made a few mistakes. I admit, I kept a few in for plot point (mainly that a 14 year old wouldn't become a Prima but as I told her, "if a 14 year old can be a model and do all the other things ADRIAN does and still go to school, if a young girl can win a contest for a famous fashion brand, if people can become monsters because of BUTTERFLIES and if you can walk around Paris and the Eiffel Tower without a million people watching in the middle of the day (seriously, Paris in this show is dead! It's never that quite) then why can't a 14 year old be a prima dancer?") but most I changed.  
> So, keep up the Comments and Kudos! They really mean a lot to us! Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5 - Peregrine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn why peacock's don't make cat's sneeze but hawks do.

# Chapter 5 - Peregrine

Annamarie couldn't help but stare longingly at the poster before her, a famous circus was in Paris for the week, their adverts all over the place, showing off the clowns and acrobats as well as the stunt men and… she sighed happily.

"Ger, what a joke."

She turned to Chloe who was beside her. "What is?"

"This!" She waved a hand to the poster. "Why would anyone pay to go and see a load of people falling over or jumping? Waste. Of. Money."

Annamarie tried not to look hurt. "I don't know, it might be fun."

"Well, I'm not going."

With a resigning sigh, the dancer smiled. "Well, if my BFF doesn't want to go, then I won't either."

"Great." Chloe laughed. "Instead you can come over to my place and you can see my newest clothes."

Nodding and trying not to feel bored at the mere idea, the two walked into the school, Annamarie not missing how many of the students were all talking about how and when and who with they were going to the circus. She was so distracted by it she didn't even notice Chloe saying Marinette should go back home to live with the clowns. Still, as much as she might want to go, there was no way she was going alone.

When the school day was finally over, she headed home right away, there was no rehearsal planning so she was just going to do some of her exercises but as she tied up her ribbons, she realised her heart wasn't in it, looking up at her reflection in the mirror and sighing. "Froufrou." She said at last, placing a hand on the polished glass. "I need to get out and fly for a bit."

"Have you done your homework?" The little bird asked from the side.

She smiled at him. "Yes mom." She teased then touched her hair slide. "Froufrou, Feathers up!"

Seconds later, Royal Peacock stood in a teenagers room, catching a glance of herself in the mirror before turning to the window, throwing it open and leaping up into the afternoon sky. The feeling of the wind in her hair, the joy of being the only being in the sky, the rush… it just took all her troubles of Annamarie away and left only Peacock.

She was so happy just to fly, letting the wind carry her around Paris, aimless, at its will. She had been flying for several minutes when suddenly she saw something just ahead, a small bird soaring elegantly around the building above her but as she continued onwards, it turned towards her and dove.

Right at her.

She gasped, tipping to the side and narrowly avoiding it but it soon came back, banking on the wind better than the hero ever could. It came back and went for her once more, this time catching the top of the guilder but avoiding the flyer.

Peacock was beginning to worry; she'd never been attacked by a bird before and wasn't sure what to do. But then she spotted something below on one of the roofs, shouting and waving urgently at her. She checked the bird's location then swooped down to the man, collapsing her fan and landing roughly, looking back just in time to see it sweep over her head and landed on the outstretched arm of the man.

The man gasped as he looked at the hero, hurrying over to her. "Oh my… I'm so sorry Peacock, are you alright?" He said, holding the bird on a glove as it dug into a raw meat snack.

The hero found herself bent over double, catching her breath. "Th… that was fast." She laughed and eventually managed to stand up. "Don't worry, I'm alright. More of a rush than fear."

"I'm so sorry." He repeated, looking at the bird. "I completely forgot _birds_ aren't the only flying thing in Paris."

She laughed and winked at him. "Well, I am _technical_ a bird. But no harm done. I'm fine, honestly."

"I'm glad. Name's Sebastian by the way." He said, holding out his other hand. "And you already met D'artagnan."

"Nice to meet you both." She shook his hand then looked at the animal. "What kind of bird is he?"

"A Harris hawk."

"He's beautiful." She smiled at the pair before looking around the industrial estate. "But… what are you doing out here?"

"Oh." The falconer said with a smile. "We've been hired to get rid of some pigeons from this area. A few flies with D'artagnan for a few weeks and they will leave this area alone."

"And no one gets hurt?"

"Unless he sees… something as a threat." He confessed with a blush then looked at the bird. "He's a softy really. Here, would you like to hold him?"

"I'd love to!" She laughed.

"Alright, here, put this glove on your left hand. I always keep a spare."

She did as told and held out her arm as Sebastian transferred the bird from his hand to hers, watching as she beamed when he settled on her hand, big intelligent eyes staring at her before leaning forward and nipping at her hair. She chuckled then reached down to her fan. "Hey, can you take a photo for me? Ladybug will never believe this."

"Umm… sure?"

"Just tap the screen." She said, using one hand to flip down the front eye to reveal the screen and opening the camera setting.

As the man snapped the picture of the two, they heard someone call out. "Oh, there you are Sebastian, I hoped to find you. Oh, Royal Peacock, what are you doing here?"

"Just getting to know the new pest control." She chuckled, passing D'artagnan back before nodding to the mayor and the police commander. "What are you gentlemen doing out here?"

"We've decided that, although Sebastian's services are humane and do not harm the birds, it takes too long." The mayor explained. "So we have decided to go with an extermination instead."

Peacock stiffened sharply. "What? So you are going to kill them?"

"They are pests, vermin. I'm sorry but it’s for the good of Paris." The officer said, crossing his arms.

She frowned at them, about to speak up when yet another voice joined them. "Daddy! You said this was going to be a quick visit then you were going to take me shopping!"

The blue masked hero turned at the voice just in time to see Chloe staring at her. "Royal Peacock?" She gasped before hurrying over.

Annamarie took a careful step backwards, away from her. "Chloe?" She said out of instinct.

The mayor's daughter lit up. "You know my name? Have we met before?"

"Umm… no. But the others… they told me about you."

Her smile became even wider. "You hear that daddy? Ladybug _talks_ about me! Me! She really is my best friend forever." She gave a squeal then frowned. "But what are _you_ doing her now Peacock? I mean, this has nothing to do with you. It's just business."

Biting her lip, the blue hero looked at the adults. "I… guess so. Sorry… I was… I was just leaving." She decided, looking at the falconer with pity. "I'm sorry."

Before anything else could be said, she turned and made her way from the group. She felt bad for him but Chloe was right; their business had nothing to do with her as a hero. She returned to the sky but she almost wished D'artagnan could join her. It didn't have the same rush as before.

Below, Sabastian turned to the mayor and police officer. "Please sir, I need this contract. I can get rid of them, I swear!"

"But not fast enough. I'm sorry but my mind is made up."

Chloe huffed. "Besides, your bird there is just as bad as the pigeons, a pest just like any other. Anyway, come along daddy, you promised to take me shopping so let's go!"

"Oh, yes my sweet, come now, let's go. I'm sorry Sabastian."

Left alone with his bird, Sabastian sighed and headed towards his van where the bird could rest. He had no love for pigeons but they were part of his trade. And who was that girl to call his bird a pest. He sat on the back of his van and looked at the D'artagnan with a deep sigh. "People just don't get you my friend."

Squawking, D'artagnan began to preen himself while his handler sulked.

Far away, Hawk Moth smiled to himself. "Insulting a precious creature? Well, that is an insult simply I won't allow. And this poor falconer is just what I need to get rid of that new bird." He captured and darkened a butterfly, controlling it to go after the falconer, the creature absorbing into his glove as it held the bird, his face lit up with a dark mask as a voice began to speak in his mind.

_"Peregrine, I am Hawk Moth. You want to prove to those ungrateful souls who is the real vermin? Well, allow me to help."_

"Thank you." He said with a smirk, D'artagnan squawking loudly before managing to get himself free and being released into the air, a second before the miasma would have consumed him. Sabastian however was left on the ground where he had been sat laughing loudly then took off into the air, rising high and fast before vanishing into the distance.

~#~

A few miles away, Peacock was still enjoying her joy ride in the industrial estate, flying in and around the many masts and chimneys of Paris, grunting when she failed to move quickly enough around one and clipped the side forcing her to landing with a crash. She rolled and came off unharmed but she still groaned to herself. "How come I can do a double back flip at school and dance 200 ballet moves and I can't fly a simple magical guilder?" She mumbled to herself and sat on the edge of a building, looking down to see a group of pigeons below, cooing and pecking at the ground.

Perhaps she should have stayed and helped defend Sabastian from losing his job but… she didn't have the right to interfere in none-akuma related problems.

She sighed loudly and leant on her hands, watching the animals below when suddenly something swooped over the pigeons, scaring them into flight and off into the air. Peacock was also startled; whatever that was, it was fast and enormous! She stood quickly and looked around in hopes of seeing what it was when a shadow suddenly passed over her and she jumped to the side and rolled back to her feet just in time to see a man land where she had been standing.

To call it a 'man' was a long shot, its arms were enormous wings and its feet and legs were basically claws, dark grey speckled feathers covering his chest and body, the only part of it that could be called human was the head and even that had feathers instead of hair. He turned to look at her, eyes pin pricks behind a yellow beak styled mask and a smirk on his lips. "Sorry." He chuckled. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Peacock frowned at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Peregrine."

"And… what do you want with me?" She asked, fan spread wide and at the ready.

"Your help."

She flinched, lessening her grip on her fan slightly. "My… _help_?"

"You understand me." He said, wings folding to his side, what looked like a hand emerging at the tips. "You understand that birds like us… we are not pests or vermin. So… join me and help prove we are the ones to rule the skies."

Backing slowly away from him, Peacock prepared herself for whatever may come. "And… how are you going to do that?"

Peregrine wiggled his talons slightly, smiling. "I think a strike with these at 100mph should make them think twice. So? Are you with me?"

"And… if I refuse?"

His smile fell. "Then you're prey."

"Well, the thing is Peregrine…" She said, backing off to the edge. "I can't let you hurt people."

With that, she jumped and went off into the sky, glancing back to see him following but there was no sign. She panicked, looking around when suddenly she heard someone above her. "Aww, little birdy thinks she can outfly me? How _sweet_!" On the last word, something landed on the back of her guilder and she began to be forced down towards the ground, any attempt to control her decent forted.

The ground was approaching at speed and she couldn't even try to get away. Suddenly something screeched above them and shot down, Peregrine screaming at the attack as whatever it was continued past the hero and swooped back for another attack. This time the akuma let go and Peacock was able to pull up just enough that she landed, skidding across the pavement and looked up at the sky, the bird man still being attacked by another smaller bird.

"D'artagnan!" She shouted, realising what it was.

The bird had one last attack at his master before flying to her side, landing on her arm as she held it out.

Shaking himself, Peregrine growled at them. "You traitor! I'll make you pay for this! Both of you!" With that, he took off into the sky.

Peacock let out a deep breath as she looked at the bird on her arm. "Thanks for the save. Sorry, I don't have any scraps to give you."

D'artagnan just walked up her arm and began nipping at her hair once more, the girl chuckling then looked at the sky. "We better find Ladybug and Chat. Come on." She rolled her arm, encouraging him to take to the air to the air then went up after him, staying as close as she could to the bird, watching how he rose and fell with the wind, the limited beats of his wings, the way he used the air… she tried to mimic his moves and found her speed and control increasing, learning how to fly from D'artagnan as he graced the air.

She almost forgot her reason for being up there until someone shouted out her name. She looked down and spotted a red and black figure running along the roofs behind her. "Ladybug!" She shouted, swooping down and landing with them. "Ladybug, we have a problem."

"We've seen it. A giant bird has been attacking the mayor and his daughter."

"I know. He's a falconer called Sabastian." She explained, ready to continue her explanation it when Chat suddenly sneezed, wiping his nose. "Umm… bless you?" She said before hearing a familiar squawk as the hawk landed on the ground near her feet.

"Ah, bird… feathers… allergic." The cat explained, backing away a little. "Who's your friend?"

"This is D'artagnan, the akuma is his trainer but… he's taken a shine to me." Peacock chuckled, holding out her arm for him to fly up to it.

Ladybug nodded as the bird sat on her arm and began nuzzling her hair. "Well, good to see you have a friend Peacock but we need to concentrate. I've seen this Peregrine attack, he is super-fast. I have no idea how we are going to beat him."

"We need to get him somewhere low, somewhere he can't fly."

"How?" Peacock asked, stroking D'artagnan.

The others looked at her.

Her eyes widened. "Oh no! No way! I can't outfly him! You've seen me, I'm still learning how to fly. Peregrine is too fast for me. I barely made it out the last time!"

"Peacock you are our only chance."

"But..."

"Look, we will be right beside you. We just need you to get him to our level. Then we can grab him and get the akuma."

"Easy for you to say." She huffed, crossing her arms. "You're not the one about to become bait!"

"Come on Peacock I will get you some bread crumbs if you do." Chat said with a grin. D'artagnan obviously didn't like the joke and flew up into the air and landed on Chat's head, nipping at his cat ears which alone was painful but his proximity causing Chat to sneeze and wave his arm in an attempt to try to get the bird off of him.

Peacock chuckled at the two and held out her arm, allowing D'artagnan to return to her, looking at the others. "Alright, I guess I have no choice. Any ideas where I can get him to our level?"

Ladybug frowned but then spotted a large poster on a nearby wall. "The circus!"

"What?"

"The tent. If we can get him inside, he won't be able to move as well."

"Neither will I." Peacock said. "Peregrine can move faster than I could dream."

"Just concentrate on getting him there. Then we will do the rest."

Peacock sighed. "Fine, D'artagnan and I will do our best."

Chat nodded. "I'll go on ahead, evacuate the tent." He suddenly sneezed, wiping his nose. "And... get away from your friends."

"I'll follow from the ground, in case you get in trouble."

"And I'll be the bait, great."

"Come on Feathers. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Peacock smirked. "I thought you were allergic to feathers." She chuckled then threw her arm so D'artagnan took to the sky and hurried to follow off, leaving her comrades behind. Once airborne she scanned the sky for any sign of the akuma while her bird friend glided below her. A shadow swept over the buildings and Peacock gasped, twisting with the wind just in time to avoid Peregrine. He swept back up, deadly talons ready.

D'artagnan came at his former master from behind, drawing his attention and allowing Peacock to right herself and turn towards the bright orange and yellow building of the circus tent, just in sight over the roofs of the houses.

She was distracted from planning her route by a claw ripping into the wood of her fan, cracking it under the weight. D'artagnan soon had him off her but it was a sharp reminder to get moving. She swooped down, getting some cover in the buildings and made her way towards the circus, the shadow crossing her path showing the akuma was following.

Chat had done his job by the time they arrived at the tents, the whole place was evacuated and Peacock flew inside the narrow opening with Peregrine close behind. Massive poles supported the fabric and Peacock quickly collapsed her fan and grabbed on, using it to slide down to the ground and away from Peregrine above as he realised he'd been trapped.

He growled at them as the three regrouped. "You think you can stop me?" He shouted then swooped down like a bullet, causing the three to split up from his attack.

The black cat was taking full advantage of the acrobatic equipment that has been in the ring, balancing on beams and trying to catch the akuma as he flew above him.

Peacock meanwhile was taking a well needed break, hiding under the seats and looking at her arm, a shallow scratch just over her shoulder from where she'd been caught. "That better not scar." She mumbled and rolled the joint.

D'artagnan landed on the stand beside her and gave a loud squawk as he looked at his handler turned akuma fly around the tent. Peacock sighed as she looked up as well. "Come on, we need to help... somehow."

As the bird took to the air once again and Peacock followed behind, moving in to clash with the birdman. On the other side of the tent, Ladybug took advantage of Peacock’s attack and threw her yo-yo into the air, calling out for the lucky charm. The result was a red and black spotted trampoline.

"A trampoline? I'm in a circus." She mumbled to herself then looked around, her luck vision kicking in and highlighted the trampoline in her hands, a net high above them blow the trapeze and Chat Noir as he ducked down under the akuma.

Suddenly it all made sense, running to a point just under the trapeze and set the trampoline down. "Chat! ORDER UP!" She shouted, pointing above herself.

Chat looked and got the idea, running to the lucky charm and jumping up before landing down on it, the elastic surface bending before he was thrown high into the air, calling out for his own power. As the bounce began to bring him down, he pushed his hand against a thick rope that was holding the safety net in place.

The power ran along the rope for a bit before it began to disintegrate in just the right locations, making the crosshatch of the net fall from it's place straight down on the two flyers. Peacock looked up and squealed as the net came down on her head pulling her and Peregrine down to the ground.

Chat and Ladybug were quick to hurry over the net and jump onto the giant bird, using their weight to pin him down as he panicked and tried to get free. As he did, his wings stretched out and enabled Ladybug to get the leather glove and ripped it in half.

The dark akuma flew out and was soon captured, Peregrine returning to the normal Sebastian, looking up from under the net in confusion. "Wait… what?"

"Hey, Ladybug." Came another voice as Peacock lay trapped under the surprisingly heavy net. "Mind fixing this?"

"I dunno." Chat purred, standing over her as she was pinned. "I kinda like you caged birdy."

"D'artagnan!" The hero called out and the called bird came down to the cat and sat on his head, his feathers causing a fit of sneezed for the cat. Ladybug laughed then collected the trampoline and threw it into the air with her normal victory cry.

Once able to stand up, Ladybug and Peacock bumped fists while Chat sneezed. Holding out her arm for the hawk, Peacock smiled at her friends before hearing their miraculous bleep but hers remained silent. "You guys go, I didn’t use illusion and I have something to do here."

"Are you sure?"

"It’s something I should have done before." She said, glancing at Sebastian.

Ladybug nodded. "Alright. We'll see you for patrol tonight."

She nodded back and watched them leave while Peacock turned to the handler. "Sebastian, how you holding up?"

"I... I don't remember anything." He confessed, taking D'artagnan from her and giving him a well needed feed. "One second I was jobless, the next... I'm here."

"You were akumatised. And you should be proud of D'artagnan, he kept trying to help you."

He smiled and stroked the bird. "Yeah he is a special one."

"And with your permission, I'd like to speak to the mayor about getting you your contract back."

"What? Really?"

The bird laughed. "Let’s put it this way, I've seen how terrifying it is to be the target of a bird of prey. With you two around, those pigeons won't know what hit them!"

~#~

A few days later, Annamarie climbed out of Chloe's car, listening to her complaining about how her hair was ruined by Peregrine's attacks. But as she walked up to the school doors, she noticed a lot of the students were looking across the road in awe. She looked as well just in time to see a familiar character flying down and landing on an out stretched arm. A few of the school clapped at this display and seeing his audience, the handler walked over and smiled to them. "Hello there everyone."

"Wow, is that a Peregrine?"

Annamarie almost instantly spoke out. "Harris Hawk." She said before blinking and coughing into her hand. "At least... I think so."

"You have a good eye young lady." Sabastian said. "His name's D'artagnan and he is a Harris Hawk.”

“So what are you doing here?”

Sabastian smiled. “Thanks to Royal Peacock, we’ve gotten the job of scaring away all the pigeons in this area. I’ve even decided to rename my business; Miraculous Bird Control.”

“Catchy.”

“I thought so. Hey, D'artagnan! Calm down." He said to the bird, holding the strap of fabric tighter as the bird began to flap and squawk. "What's gotten into..." The bird stopped as Annamarie stepped a little closer. "Careful miss, he... can bite?"

The bird did indeed 'bite' but only at her hair, preening the young teen's as he had a few days ago. Sabastian huffed. "Well look there... he must really like you. He does seem to have good judge of character, he liked Royal Peacock too. Messed with her hair too."

Annamarie gave the bird a knowing smile. "You don't say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story! Sending this message out especially to Hina who I hope is alright. I haven’t heard from you in a few days darling and I’m beginning to worry. I don’t know if you are upset with me but please let me know you are alright. 
> 
> Anyone else out there, don't forget to comment or kudos!


	6. Chapter 6 - 3 Month Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is no akuma but a small gylmps at the truth of what's going on.

# Chapter 6 - 3 Month Anniversary

Pushing the yo-yo away from her body with a wave of her fan, Royal Peacock jumped backwards over the empty room, jumping to a crate and looked at her target. “Not bad Ladybug.”

The other smiled as she walked forward, yo-yo spinning beside her but before she could throw it out, Peacock leapt into the air and glided around the warehouse they were in, landing on a beam in the roof. Her attention turned to the box she had been standing on where a cat shaped figure had been crouched behind. “Have to be faster than that Chat Noir!” She called down to cat.

He frowned as he looked up at her. “How did you know I was here?” He asked as he stood up.

“Heard your bell.” She chuckled back before feeling something tap her shoulder.

“Tag.” Ladybug laughed from behind her.

Peacock frowned to her partner. “Oh that was sneaky! Get Chat to distract me while you snuck up from behind? That’s not fair, you never said we could team up!”

Walking along the beam, Ladybug shrugged. “Sorry, but Chat and I have been at this longer than you. Besides you’re the one who agreed to train with us.”

“Still cheating.” She mumbled, walking after the red spotted hero, watching as she climbed out a window and onto the roof. The warehouse was out towards the industrial area of Paris so no one could stumble across them but even this far away they could still see the Tower and the night lights made it look like a beacon on a sea of diamonds. Peacock smiled happily as she sat on the edge and sighed with contentment at the view and company.

She only just registered Chat coming up to join them, his hands behind his back and sitting on her other side. After a moment he pulled his hands out and passed a tall white box to the peacock. “For you Feathers.” He informed her with a charming smile.

Confused, Peacock looked between the two, both of them smiling knowingly as she took the box, looking it over. “What is it?”

“It’s a gift.” Ladybug explained. “From both of us. Go on, open it.”

Peacock did as told, lifting the lid slowly and gasping at what was inside. A beautiful white cake sat before her, a peacock made out of icing curving around the edge with the feathers spreading out while in a small gap were the words ‘Joyeux anniversaire 3 Mois’ in gold fluid writing.

Covering her mouth, Peacock just stared at it and felt tears in her eyes at the gift. Chat and Ladybug looked at each other a little confused but then Peacock reached carefully out and grabbed Ladybug in a tight hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much! No one has ever done something like this for me before!”

Ladybug smiled at her as they let go and she gave the same hug to Chat, the cat hugging her back as he did. “Hey, you’re part of the team now. I mean, I didn’t get a cake when it was our anniversary. Not that I didn’t want to for my lady, just never had chance.”

She chuckled, letting him go and wiping her eyes as she looked at the cake with a smile. “Shame we don’t have some plates, we could share this one.”

Chat smirked then held up a finger, disappearing off the roof for a moment before coming back up with a picnic basket. “Tada! The cat has got you covered.” He said proudly, pulling out three plates, a knife, some forks, three glasses and a bottle of some kind. “Ladybug got the cake so I got the purr-fect extras.”

Ladybug chuckled. “Well done kitty.”

“What can I say? I’m just that good. So, come on Pea.” He chuckled, passing her the knife. “Dish up! I’m starving.”

The trio sat on the roof, overlooking the city they protected as Peacock cut up and plated the cake while Chat poured them each a glass of cool lemonade and Ladybug lay out a blanket for them to sit on.

Chat lifted up one of the glasses. “Here you go Feathers.” He teased as he passed it over. “And one for you my lady.”

Taking it from him, Ladybug lifted her glass and looked at the two of them. “I would like to propose a toast.” Her gaze went past to the city before them. “To Paris.”

“May she always be safe.” Chat added, also lifting his glass.

“And to Royal Peacock.” Ladybug said softly. “Thank you for all your hard work these past three months. We are glad you could join us.”

The bird blushed and lifted her glass to the others, clinking them together in the toast. “To all of us.” They drank and turned to the cake, soon praising the taste in amazement, Ladybug staying remarkably quite about it and trying not to blush at their unintentional praise. Marinette had worked for several hours with perfecting the design and helping her father craft it.

After a few bites, Ladybug coughed to change the subject. “Shame our kwami couldn’t join us. I’m sure they would love some of this cake.”

“Mine wouldn’t.” Chat said as he began to eat his second slice. “He only ever wants cheese.”

“Cheese?” The red spotted woman asked, curious.

He nodded. “The smellier the better.”

Peacock smiled at him. “I was wondering what that aroma was. But I thought cats were lactose-intolerant?”

Chat shrugged as he went back to his cake. “Dunno. I just hate the fact that I always stink everyday of camembert.”

Ladybug chuckled. “Well, mine likes cookies but anything sweet will keep her happy.”

“At least they don’t smell.” Chat pouted.

“Yeah.” Ladybug agreed with a nod. “But the crumbs get everywhere.”

“I can imagine.” Peacock laughed. “That can’t be nice.”

“She’s pretty good, cleans up as best she can. What about you Pea?”

Peacock took a deep breath and held up a finger. “Organic, room temperature, seedless white grapes.” The others stared at her like she had two heads but the bird shrugged. “She’s picky.”

Chat blinked. “And I thought mine was bad.”

The group all laughed at the news before going back to their midnight snack and drinks. When the last of the cake was finished and not a crumb remained, Peacock helped clean up and put the blanket away before looking at the other two. “Can I ask you both something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“You don’t have to tell me but… how did you get your miraculous?”

The black and red ones looked at each other. They had never spoken about it before but the question was something they had both wondered in the past. Ladybug was the first to speak. “Well…” She said calmly. “I just found this box in my room. And when I opened it, my kwami appeared.”

“Same thing happened for me.” Chat Noir confessed. “You?”

Peacock blinked then gave half a smile. “Same. Just found this box and opened it.”

“Wonder why… or who… gave them to us.” Chat wondered.

With a one shoulder shrug, Royal Peacock looked over into the distance. “Who knows? Maybe one day we will find out.”

Ladybug said nothing but she did get the odd feeling that their companion wasn’t telling the whole truth.

* * *

 

Marinette smiled happily to herself as she headed into class, unable to stop thinking about her night with Chat Noir and Royal Peacock, eating cake and talking. It was nice to meet up with them just for fun, without the fate of Paris in the balance. She might not know who they were behind the mask, nor did she want to know, but they were still her friends. And with Peacock, Chat had stopped flirting with her as much and paid more attention to the tasks at hand. He still flirted but Peacock kept him in check as much as Ladybug did.

She got to her regular seat and checked it quickly for booby-traps, glad to find there weren’t any and sat down. Annamarie, Chloe and Sabrina soon walked in and headed right for the baker’s daughter. “Oh, hey Marinette, did you have a good weekend?” Chloe asked in a mocking tone.

But it didn’t damper Marinette’s mood. “Yes Chloe, I did.”

“Not as good as ours I’m sure. We went off to Italy for a shopping trip. You wouldn’t believe the things we brought.”

“That’s nice.” Marinette mono-toned, leaning on her hand.

Annamarie stepped over as Chloe looked blank at her none existent reaction. “I’m sure she’s jealous Chloe, just her simple mind can’t think of a way to say it.”

Chloe smiled. “Too true Annamarie.”

“Someone as plain and… basic as Marinette couldn’t comprehend the wonders of the world like you and I can.” She continued, looking at the baker. “I mean, I’m sure her idea of a holiday is a trip to Notre Dame.”

Marinette sighed as she looked at the other girl but before she could reply with the places she had been on holiday, Adrian stood up in front of her. “Hey, Annamarie, lay off alright? You’ve been here what, three months? And all you’ve done is pick on her. So just quit it alright?”

She turned to face him and crossed her arms over her chest. “And what you going to do about it if I don’t Adrian?” she stepped down to his level and smirked with a tip of her head. “I don’t see what some little daddy’s boy can do to stop me. I mean, you’re just your dad’s puppet; when he says jump, you say how high.” She reached out and poked him in the chest, the action making him take a step back.

“I honestly don’t get why there is all this hype about you or why anyone would want to be near you. You’re nothing more than a spoilt little rich kid with daddy issues and a pretty face. You should do us all a favour and just stay home in your mansion so others can get on with their lives. I mean, why do you even come here? With all your extra lessons and job and toys, you don’t need school. Guess you just want to rub it into the face of the common folk hey? Show off what you have. You know, you are the kind of person I hate the most, thinking you are ‘all that’ when you’re nothing really.” She took a step closer to him, eyes burning with hate and anger towards him. “Run home Adrian, you’re not welcome here.”

Adrian’s hand closed into a fist and before he could stop himself, swung for the girl.

Annamarie ducked out of his way slightly so the blow only caught her shoulder but it was at the estate moment that Monsieur Damocles and Madam Bustier walked past the room and saw them. They quickly stepped in and glared at the boy. “Adrian Agreste! What do you think you are doing!” Monsieur Damocles insisted instantly.

Annamarie rubbed her shoulder with a tearful face. “He hit me sir! Just because I said he lived in a mansion!”

The other students suddenly stood up and began talking all at the same time. “That’s not true!” Adrian insisted, hands up in surrender.

“Annamarie provoked him!” Someone shouted.

“He’s innocent!” Another added.

“It’s not what it looked like!”

“Silence!” The headmaster ordered. “It does not matter if it was provoked or not, I saw with my own eyes Mr Agreste strike out at another student. And I cannot allow that kind of behaviour.” His gazed turned to the boy. “Adrian, report to my office at once. I will be calling your father about this.”

The blonde’s face drained of all colour as he sighed, picked up his bag and walked out of the room with the head master while Madam Bustier took the register. The rest of the class glared at Annamarie as she sat down but she didn’t pay any of them attention. Chloe sat beside her and shot her a dirty look. “What did you do that for?” She hissed lowly.

The other smiled back. “I needed to teach him not to get in our way.”

“But… I didn’t want him to get into trouble!”

She sighed. “Why do you think I said ‘ _I don’t know what all the hype is about you_ ’? So it’s clearly coming from me and not you. So you have an opening to go and apologise for my behaviour. And perhaps take him out for a meal to make up for it?”

Chloe’s eyes widened as it all fell into place for her and she smiled. “Oh you are a genius.” She hissed happily.

“I’m sorry he got in trouble but at least now he won’t interfere with Marinette. I did it for you in the long run.” She smiled and winked. “What are best friends for anyway?”

* * *

 

Peacock hair pin hidden under the wings of her headband, Annamarie checked her appearance once more, ensuring that her whole costume was perfect before walking out of the changing room. The ballet studio had just made a deal with a local fashion designer so that he and his company would produce all the costumes for their upcoming performance and in return, some of the best ballet dancers of the company would pose in costume been besides the designer’s star models in their latest range. Publicity for both parties.

As prima, Annamarie had been instantly invited, even if she personally didn’t like the idea, her mother and director had insisted she took part and said it was good for her career so she agreed. Dressed as the Swan Princess herself, Annamarie headed to the stage where the shoot would be held and was amazed when she saw who her model was.

“Adrian?”

Adrian turned at his name, his charming smile vanishing when he saw who was speaking to him. “Oh… not you.” He said with a sigh.

“Adrian.” A disappointed voice said as it stepped out onto the stage. “I expect better of you.”

“Father, this is the girl I was telling you about!” He said, pointing at the swan princess. “This is…”

“Annamarie Tolrana.” Gabriel Agreste stated, walking over to her and taking her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person.”

Bowing elegantly with the hand, Annamarie nodded gently. “It’s an honour to meet you and work with you, Mr Agreste.”

“May I personally apologise for my son’s behaviour. I hope you weren’t harmed.”

“Fortunately not.” She said, showing her bare, unmarked shoulder.

“I am glad.” He said then turned to his son. “Adrian.”

Adrian stepped over and looked at his classmate. “I’m sorry for hitting you and I look forward to work with you.” He said, lifeless, clearly not meaning a word of it.

Annamarie smiled and gave him a ballet style bow. “As do I Adrian.”

“Then shall we?” Gabriel asked as he escorted the two teens to the photographer.

The shoot proceeded to be awkward to say the least, the photographer wanted some quite intimate poses of the dancer and model but after a few attempts, it was clear that Adrian was still holding a grudge as he basically refused to touch Annamarie if he could help it.

The photographer worked as best he could with the situation but in the end he had to separate the pair, getting Annamarie to make poses while Adrian watched. It worked but it wasn’t what they wanted.

Finally the two were released and Adrian left as fast as he could while Annamarie changed into her normal clothes, sighing as she left the stage, letting Froufrou out of her bag once in a back alley. The bird glared at her, clearly unhappy but didn’t say anything.

Annamarie frowned at her. “What?”

“You know what.”

“Look, you don’t understand what it’s like for me.” She protested. “You don’t understand what it means for me to…”

“You are becoming the very thing you ran away from in England, Annamarie.” Froufrou stated.

“You’re the one who said you’d help me with my confidence.” The girl snapped back. “And I feel much more confident in who I am now! This is me! Who I am! I’m myself now!”

“Are you really?” Froufrou asked as she floated closer. “Are you really feel yourself?”

Annamarie swallowed, unable to answer. “I’m going home.” She said, opening her bag. “Get in.”

The kwami frowned even more, crossing her arms. “No.”

“Get in Froufrou!” She shouted at her.

“Not until you accept that what you have done is wrong.”

“I will leave you behind if you don’t get in the bag Froufrou!”

“Then leave.” Froufrou said, flying off into the distance, out of her reach but then she paused and looked back. “Sophia would be so disappointed in you.” And with that, she flew away and out of sight.

Annamarie remained where she was, staring up at the sky before tears slowly fell down her face and she slipped to her knees, sobbing. After a moment, she held her own arms, hugging herself. “I… I’m sorry Froufrou. I’m so sorry.”

For a bit, just knelt alone in the alley and cried, tears rolling down her cheeks before feeling something soft brush one away. Her eyes looked up to see the little blue bird hovering before her, smiling softly. She sniffed again, wiping her own eyes. “You… you came back?”

“Of course I did, Annamarie.” She cooed. “I wouldn’t just leave you.”

Smiling, the other reached out, holding the kwami close to her heart. “I’m sorry Froufrou. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll work it out eventually.”  **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to put a quick thank you to everyone out there who is supporting this story! I'm glad you are enjoying it! 
> 
> But yes! Finally! Chapter 6 is done! Well, in honesty, this USED to be chapter 7 but the original chapter 6 just... well, I couldn't finish it. It had a great start but… I couldn’t think of a way to defeat the Akuma so he had to be dropped.
> 
> And since there have been a few cases of this, chapters or scenes that I have started out fine but never finished or scenes I liked but never competed or fit in, what myself and Hina have decided to do is post these scenes and chapters as a sort of 'side story'. Mainly because I have written a lot of really good Alt Universes and Ending and all sorts of goodies for this story and they deserve their chance to shine.
> 
> It's going to be called 'Flock of Feathers’ (As in Birds of a Feather? Sorry, Chat’s rubbing off on me)
> 
> Not going to publish any of the flock yet but keep your eyes open.
> 
> Anyone else out there, don't forget to leave your mark!


	7. Chapter 7 - Lucky Charm

"Annamarie~!" Came a loud sing song voice.

Turning, she smiled and nodded to her friend as she came hurrying over. "Hey Chloe."

"I have a surprise~ for you!" The blonde chuckled as she held out a small box in her hands.

"You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to! I saw it and I knew you would love it. Come on, open it!"

With a sigh, Annamarie opened it and let out a small laugh as she saw a delicate pink flower shaped hair slide. "Oh Chloe, its lovely."

"You don't have to thank me." She chortled, clearly expecting to be thanks. "But since you always wear that silly blue one, I thought you might like another. I mean, do you only have one or something?"

"This?" She said, touching her miraculous carefully. "Oh... I never take it off. It's my lucky charm."

Chloe gave a loud sudden gasp, freezing in place. "That... that's what Ladybug says!"

Annamarie's face fell and she turned away, placed a hand to her heart. "Oh no... you... you figured it out. I never wanted you to find out like this." She turned to look at the other. "Yes, Chloe, I'm Ladybug. I'm the hero of Paris and for the last year, I've been flying back and forth from England every time there is trouble here in Paris." She said, sarcasm growing each word until she was dripping with it.

The other crossed her arms and pouted. "Alright, no need to be so cynical about it."

"I'm just saying, 'lucky charm' is a common expression." She sighed. "But thank you for the slide. It's lovely."

"Good. Now, come on, let's go have some fun!"

Arm in arm, the two began to walk away, heading for Chloe's home where they talked about celebrities and fashion and anything else that Chloe wanted to talk about. More often it was the mayor's daughter who did the talking while the dancer sat and listened with the odd nod and small comment but it was clear her opinion had little weight.

She was glad when she was able to head home under the pretence of dinner although Chloe did offer to let her stay for a meal in the hotel's restaurant. All the same, she headed home and after eating with her mother and helping wash up, she pardoned herself to go do her homework in her room. For a few hours she worked tirelessly on her math's homework and just as she began to move onto her geography, she noticed the time and blinked. "So late already? Frou?" She called, watching as the little bird came out from her hiding space.

The kwami frowned at her. "Annamarie, it's been a long day, are you sure you want to go patrol tonight? You still have a lot of homework to do."

"I'll be fine. I need a break anyway." She said with a smile then waved her hand over the hair slide. "Froufrou, Feathers up!" The magic washed over her quickly and she changed forms, heading for the window but not before catching her reflection in the wall mirror on one side. She stared at herself for a moment then smiled and made her way to the window, jumping out and taking off into the sky, gliding over the city until she came to a roof with a large billboard on it, landing a little riskily before looking around.

She couldn't help but wonder why she always appeared to be the first to the patrol meeting points. Almost every night she would get to the roof before there was any sign of Chat Noir or Ladybug. Perhaps it was because she flew or perhaps her starting point was closer than theirs but for whatever reason, she was sat on the roof, waiting for them once again, admiring the view.

It was a beautiful night, one of the Paris' rare cloudless nights, the stars above only just visible over the bright lights of the city but that didn't make it any less glorious and with the comfortable cool breeze in the air, sweet music weaved in and out over the sounds of cars and conversation below, she could tell it would be a perfect time to just run and enjoy their patrol once the others turned up.

Speaking of which;

"Hoped I'd find you first." Came a cheery voice from her side.

"Hey Chat."

"Hey Feathers." He looked around quickly. "No sign of Ladybug?"

"Not yet." She sighed, standing up. "But I doubt she will miss a night like this."

"Yeah. It is beautiful out here tonight." He sighed happily, looking up at the sky before turning to look at his partner. "Hey, Peacock… can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

He turned his bright green eyes away, blushing. "Would you… not come on patrol tonight?" He asked sheepishly.

Peacock quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well." He scratched the back of his head. "You see… ever since you joined us… Ladybug and I haven't had any time alone together. You know… without explosions and… an Akuma. And I don't mean to sound rude, I mean, I love having you with us. But I sort of... miss just the two of us hanging out." He gave her a perfect begging puppy (or kitty) eyes and a pleading smile. "So… just this once? Take the night off? For me?"

She glared at him, contemplating it but before she could comment, Ladybug zipped onto the roof besides them. "Hey guys. Sorry I'm late."

Peacock looked at her then at Chat then quickly back again. "No problem, I was just telling Chat that I can't join you tonight."

"What? Why?"

Rubbing her jaw, she tried to think of an excuse before nodding. "Well… I… I've got toothache." She said, rubbing her jaw a little more. "Thought transforming would help with the pain but… it hasn't."

Ladybug's eyes went wide with concern. "Oh no. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Ah don't be. I'm seeing the dentist tomorrow. Serves me right for eating too much chocolate." She chuckled lightly. "But you two better get going or you'll be late."

Ladybug turned towards the nearest edge but kept her eyes on the blue hero. "Well, if you're sure."

"Yeah. Go on." Peacock casually waved them off. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ladybug nodded and looked at the cat. "Come on then Chat, just you and me tonight." She pulled out her yo-yo and soon flew off into the distance.

Pulling out his baton and winked at his friend. "Thanks."

"You owe me one." She whispered back, shooing him. "Now scat. Go on. Enjoy your night, Chat Noir."

He smiled and nodded again before taking off into the distance, soon vanishing. Once they were gone on their 'old time' patrol, Annamarie headed home, slipping back inside via the window she left open and released her transformation, Froufrou looking at her with slight annoyance. "Well, that was a waste of time."

"No it wasn't Frou. You were right earlier; it's been a long day and I'm tired. Besides, Paris still gets patrolled, they get to have some time together and I get a night to work on my homework. So everyone wins."

"I'm just glad you listened to me." She chuckled, flying away to a plate of grapes.

The other smiled as she sat down at her desk and began to work diligently for the next few minutes, getting halfway into her geography homework when there was a soft knock at her door. "Annamarie?"

Checking quickly that Froufrou was hidden, the teen walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey mom."

"I just finished the ironing." She said, holding out a small neat pile for her.

Taking them gratefully, the other smiled. "Thanks." She turned and placed them on the side, putting them away in in suitable locations.

Her mother stood in the doorway and watched for a bit. "I heard you talking earlier." Estella commented as she watched her work.

"I… was on the phone. Getting some help with my homework."

The other smiled. "Oh. It's great that you have some friends Annamarie. I'd love to meet them, you should invite them over."

She froze slightly. "Umm… I don't…"

"Come on, you finally have some friends and I don't even know what they look like."

Quickly Annamarie hurried to find her phone and pulled it out, finding a picture of herself and Chloe. "There she is. That's Chloe."

Looking, Estella tried to keep a twitch from her face. "She looks… nice. So why don't you invite her over for dinner some day?"

"Umm… she's…" Annamarie gulped. "She's a picky eater."

"Annamarie Tina Tolrana."

She flinched. It was never good when her whole name was used. "Yes mom?"

"You tell me the truth right now. Are you embarrassed of me?"

"What?! No! Never."

"Then why don't you want me to meet your friends?"

She gulped and turned to face her. "Well… when you saw her picture, you had that look."

"What look?"

"That look you get when everyone else likes something and you don't but you won't say anything."

The older prima dancer frowned. "Well… umm she just doesn't look like the kind of girl I expected you to become friends with."

She turned away and shrugged. "She's great. A bit of an airhead but… she loves to go shopping and wants to hang out with me so… I'm happy."

There was silence for a second but then Estella sighed. "Well, as long as you're happy." And with that she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Once alone, Annamarie went back to putting her clothes away while Froufrou flew out and sat on her shoulder. "I've got to agree with your mom, Annamarie. Chloe… isn't the kind of girl I would have thought you'd… well… pick."

"Of course she isn't." The other sighed. "She's stuck up, rude, thinks of no one but herself and is a bully. But…" She glanced over at the bird. "She's the only friend I've got and she wants to be with me. So, no matter what she is to others, or how much I don't like it… she's good to me and that's enough." She turned her eyes away. "It will work out in the end, you'll see."

The kwami said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much of a chapter I know, more like a ‘day in the life’ but I have something planned for miraculous appreciation day, the 1st of September. It’s a chapter a lot of you have wondered about. Annamaire’s Past. Don’t forget to comment!


	8. Chapter 8 - Annamarie's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As part of 1 Year of Miraculous! Peacock's 'Origins' chapter

Wiping back tears, Annamarie Tolrana just stood by the London river, looking down at the water. It was late, three in the morning and the roads were nearly empty, only the late night partiers out at this time. No one noticed the ballet dancer as she stood by the railing and cried.

Her dance bag had been dumped at her side, just another reminded of how much the world was destroying her. School, home, ballet… everything! 13 years old and she wished she was….

She let out a soft, choked out sob, looking up at the cloudy night sky and sniffed, wishing it would all go away. How she hated her life. She choked on her own tears again and looked down, her hands gripping the metal railing until it hurt, the pain in her hands joining the mental pain as her tears felling and joining the water below.

Staring down, she panted for a moment before she began to move, putting her weight on the rail and climbing over it, holding it as her feet clung to the tiny ledge on the other side, her hands trembling as they held on, so little forcing her to hold on while so much wanted to let go.

She choked and sobbed, part of her hoping someone would see her and try and save her. But no one did. No one cared. No one would miss her! The pain just hurt so much and she wanted it to stop! Washed away or with a broken neck she didn't care! She just wanted it to stop hurting.

One last look.

And she let go.

Her footing failed as her counterbalance vanished and she began the drop down.

Abruptly, she was stopped and her shoulder ached as something grabbed her arm and held her for a moment before tightening the grip and slowly pulled her back and over the rail to solid ground.

The pavement was hard and she'd hurt herself when she was pulled over the rail but a solid relief and terror filled her, causing an uncontrollable trembling and loud crying.

A hand touched her other shoulder. "You alright?"

She looked at who had saved her, a woman with blonde hair in her late 40s and a kind smile. Slowly she managed to nod. "Y-you s-save me?" She stammered before hugging herself. "Why?"

"Because you're young." The other said, kneeling and hugging her too. "What… what could have possibly made you… why would you do that?"

"Bullies." She sniffed, hugging the stranger back, nuzzling into her arms and feeling a warmth as the other ran her hand back in her hair. "I… I don't want to fight them anymore. I can't. I'm not worth… fighting for."

The woman sighed and held her for a bit longer stood, holding out her hand to help her up. "Come on, I'll walk you home. We can talk as we do."

Grabbing her bag and standing, the two began to walk, the stranger watching the young girl as they did. "I'm Sophia."

"Annamarie."

The pair walked and spoke calmly as they did, the teenager feeling much better for finally getting her troubles out of her mind, to talk to someone. It wasn't a long walk but when they did get back to the small flat, she dared to invite Sophia in. Luckily her father wasn't back yet.

Sophia explained what had happened to Estella who almost broke down in tears on hearing how bad her daughter had been suffering. She vowed to help her however she could, as did Sophia and over the next few months, the two adults became very fast friends, bonding over a childhood in France while Sophia happily would sit with Annamarie when she needed somewhere to hide from her father or bullies. They soon began talking in French and Annmarie learnt the language very quickly when submerged in it.

It didn't help much with her school life but it stopped her from going near the river once more. But when the news of her father's arrest hit headlines, Sophia was the one to collect Annamarie from her school discreetly and get her away, explaining what had happened. The teenager soon retreated to her room and was barely seen again until the trial, four weeks later.

Two days later, as the results of the trial was being broadcast on the TV, Estella and Sophia were sat downstairs when Estella made a sudden announcement. "I'm moving back to France." She said calmly. "I've been offered a new job in Paris and the pay is really good. It might be a distress but at least it will give us a fresh start."

Sophia thought about it for a moment then turned to her. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I'm sure all this will blow over eventually."

"Perhaps. But Annamarie is miserable here. You are the only friend she has and, no offence but you're not of her age range. She needs to be around teenagers. A new school in a new country might be just what she needs. I have some connections with the ballet company in the area so that wouldn't be a problem either. This could be just what we both need."

Sophia closed her eyes as she nodded. "Alright. I guess that is true. Have you told Annamarie yet?"

"Not yet."

"Would you mind if I told her?"

"Are you sure?"

Sophia sighed and nodded. "I think she will take it better from me. I'll be back in a bit." She made her way up to the teen's room and knocked on the door lightly. "Annamarie?"

The sobbing on the other side stopped. "Sophia?"

"Can I come in?"

"Umm… yeah."

Stepping inside, the older blonde walked over and sat beside her on the bed. "How you holding up?"

Wiping her eyes, even when the tears had long since dried up. "I'm… getting there."

"I'm glad. Look, I wanted to talk to you. I'm… not sure if you knew but… your mom has been offered a new job."

"I heard."

"Do… you know where?" The teen shook her head and Sophia smiled. " _Paree_." She said in her native tongue.

To her surprise, Annamarie looked happy at the news. "Paris! She… we… PARIS!"

Sophia chuckled. "And there was me thinking you would be upset."

"Why would I be upset! We're going to Paris! I'm going to live in Paris! You can take me to all the places you always talk about and show me where you grew up and everything!"

Sophia's smile slowly fell. "Annamarie, you know, I'm not coming with you, right?"

The good mood vanished. "What? Why? I mean, I'm sure mom would let you live with us and… you could get work there and… Paris is your home and…"

"Paris _was_ my home." Sophia interrupted. "But I can't go back to it."

"Why not?"

The older woman paused before looked over at her again. "If I tell you, you have to swear never to tell anyone ever. Not your mother or anyone. Swear?"

"I swear."

Staring at her for a moment longer, Sophia finally reached for her purse and opened it. "Froufrou, come out please?"

Amazed, she watched as a small blue things appeared from the bag, looking at her with a cautious curiosity with big yellow eyes. "Sophia, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The blonde nodded and held out her hand. "Froufrou, this is my friend Annamarie. Annamarie, this is Froufrou, my kwami."

"Your… what?"

"I'm a kind of fairy." Froufrou explained. "And you are the first non-miraculous holder to see me in over 900 years." She smiled, tail feather's spreading out. "You should feel honoured."

Sophia poked her playfully in the back. "Meet the original 'proud as a peacock'." She teased. "But Froufrou is the reason I can't go back to Paris. There is someone there that is hunting down any kwami … so I left to keep mine safe."

Annamarie couldn't take her eyes off the little blue bird. "So… this is why you can't go back?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Annamarie. Anywhere else I could follow you in a heartbeat. But not Paris. It's hard to explain but it is very important."

Sighing, the teenager leant into her for a hug. "I understand."

"We can stay in touch. You can write to me."

The teen nodded. "Alright."

"But you have to keep Froufrou secret, or all three of us will be in danger."

"Why?"

Sophia paused then looked away. "We can talk about it another time. For now, best go tell your mom. Froufrou?" The little kwami soon hid back in her bag and the pair went downstairs.

The move to Paris was very quick, less than a week after being told of the change, and they were packing up, transporting items over to France but finally the day came, the pair ready to check in and pass on to the departures. No one was there to see them off but Annamarie looked around desperately hoping to see Sophia before they left.

Estella placed a hand on her shoulder. "Annamarie, there was an accident on the road behind us. She's probably stuck in the traffic. You know she would be here if she could be. But we have to go or we will miss out flight."

With one final look back, the teenager turned around and sighed. "I know."

"Come one. You can call her when we land."

The two moved towards the barrier before suddenly heard someone shout and run towards them. Everyone turned to the shouter and Annamarie smiled when she saw her old friend, hurrying towards her, arms around her.

"S…sorry I'm… late." She panted, clearing have run to meet them. "You wouldn't… believe… what I had to do to get here."

Annamarie smiled as she held her. "I'm just glad you made it."

"As if I would miss saying goodbye." The blonde said, running a hand back in her hair as they embraced. "Besides, I have something for you. A good luck charm." Sophia said as she passed her a small black box with a red Chinese like pattern on the top as well as an envelope. "But you can't open it until you are alone in your new room. Alright?"

Holding hands over the small item, Annamarie nodded. "I promise. I'll miss you Sophia."

"I'm sure you will make lots of new friends, you won't need me anymore. And you promised to write anyway." She brushed a stray strand of the brunette's hair back over her ear. "I know you will make me proud." They turned back to Estella and the two adults embraced. "You know where to find me if you need me."

"Thank you for everything Sophia."

The three embraced then the two moved for the terminal, Sophia waving to them both. "Enjoy _Paree_!" she shouted.

Waving one last time, Annamarie looked down at her other hand and the box before putting it safely in her bag then hurried with her mother to the plane. As they sat in their seat waiting for take-off, the teenager looked to her elder. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Have you ever noticed the way Sophia looks at me sometimes? Like… she's sad about something?"

Estella sighed as she looked at her child. "She told me once. You remind her a lot of her son."

"Sophia has a son?"

"Yes. But she hasn't seen him in many years. She's doesn't even know where he is anymore."

"Why?"

"She never told me. Said it was complicated. I didn't press and neither will you."

Subject dropped, Annamarie looked out the window as England began to zoom past in take-off and she was on her way to Paris.

* * *

 

It was evening by the time they reached their new home in Paris centre and after a naughty take away, Annamarie went up to her new room and looked it over. It wasn't as large as her old room in England but there was something charming about it.

Her bed was set up on one side with the wardrobe next to it, her desk under the windowsill with a large bookshelf beside it. A shelf with her trophies was on the other side and a sofa with table fill other the gap the wall and the door on the other side. The best part however was the view, from her window she had an almost uninterrupted view of the Eifel Tower, coming out of the sky in the distance.

Sitting on the sofa, Annamarie pulled the box and letter that Sophia had given her. The letter was short and confusing.

_'Annamarie, I know you are the right person for the task. Be strong and carry on where I left off. Sophia.'_

The signature was signed off with the image of some kind of fan, the way Sophia signed everything she wrote, proving it was her who had written it but it still confused her. Instead she turned to the box, hoping it would provide some answers.

As she opened it, a bright blue ball of light formed and out of shock, the teen dropped it, leaning away. A few seconds later, the ball solidified into a familiar shape that blinked and folded her arms. "About time!" The little fairy huffed before shaking her whole body until her feathers were fanned out.

"F-Froufrou!" Annamarie gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Sophia decided that you needed me."

"But…" She said, looking around suddenly. "What about the person who's after you?"

Froufrou shrugged as she flew around the room before landing on the windowsill, looking at her reflection in the glass. "Against my better judgement, Sophia believes you can look after me. She thinks you have a peacock-ness about you."

"Peacock-ness?" The other asked, picking up the box and looking inside to see Sophia's delicate peacock style hair slide. She'd never seen the woman without it before so why was it now in her hands?

Froufrou sighed. "Kwami like me can only help people who have a… element about them that can be improved by or changed by our powers. And in my case, that is self-esteem."

"And… you think… that is something I have?"

The little Kwami flew right up into her face, so close that Annamarie had to go cross eyed to keep her in view. "No. That is something you seriously _lack_. In all honesty, I don't think even my power can help improve your confidence. I don't understand why she picked you." She flew away once more, tail to the girl and sighed. "But… I trust Sophia. And she thinks you can so… so be it. I will do what I can for you." She looked back over her shoulder with a frown. "But you should count yourself lucky to have such a wonderful partner as me."

"What are you talking about? What power? What is going on Froufrou?"

"Put that hair slide on and say 'Froufrou, feathers up'. You'll see what I mean."

Annamarie frowned and did as told, speaking the words tentatively but once she had, Froufrou was pulled into the hair grip and a bright blue light consumed her. She closed her eyes as something weird and tingly washed over her, stopping after only a few seconds and when it did, she carefully opened her eyes and was amazed to see her reflection, dressed in some kind of skin tight blue suit and mask.

Reaching up to touch her face and the mask, she noticing a blue fan hanging from her wrist and just shook her head, staring at her refection for a moment, shocked by it all. "What is going on?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N; Hey everyone! As promised for the 1 Year of Miraculous, I present the chapter that may or may not change your opinion of Annamarie. I’ve been hinting for a while that there was more to her past than you might think and now you can see what. Think of this as my ‘origins’ chapter ;)  
> Anyway, thank you to everyone who is reading this story and I hope you are enjoy the rest of the story. Might be a wait for the next update, my battle writer Zero has got carpal tunnel in their hand which has caused us to stop. If anyone would like to temporarily take over to help, please let us know!   
> Thanks to everyone who makes Miraculous Ladybug such an amazing fandom to be a part of and hear is to season 2!


	9. Chapter 9 - Star Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone order a bit of awkwardness?   
> Also, please read end notes

#  Chapter 9 - Star Boy

Adrian sighed as he pulled on his jacket and hurried to stand next to his completion, another young male model called Edwin Kerry, a boy about his age with a handsome face and brown hair. "Hey, Edwin…" He said, holding out his hand as the people prepared for the final part of the show. "May the best guy win."

Edwin quirked an eye brow at him but smiled and shook. "Yeah. Same to you. But you do know I'm the favourite right?"

The blonde smirked slightly. "Well, if I had my way, I wouldn't be here. I've got enough work without this one."

"No need to rub it in Agreste." He said, moving back to his place and touching a little star shaped pin on his jacket with a smile.

The two boys were in the final round of a televised competition where the winner would be given a contract to be the only model for a new range of clothes with an up and coming designer. Adrian had flown to the final while Edwin had worked every step of the way.

They had earlier that day completed a 'who can wear it best' contest and were given the ugliest jackets either of them had ever seen but set the challenge of making them look good. It was clear Edwin had won that round. The whispers around the studio had him hands down to be the victor and Adrian was glad for it. Still, he stood in place and put on his best smile as the cameras went live once more.

"Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to the final of AGG Model Contest! From several thousand who applied, we are down to our final two. The well-known and beloved Adrian Agreste verses the fresh new comer Edwin Kerry, or as the ladies call him the Star Boy!"

The two boys gave their best smiles and charismatic poses as the cameras focused on them for a moment then back on the presenter. "And now, let's meet our final judges!"

Three people walked onto the stage and Adrian gulped when he saw his father was among them. Edwin frowned as well but soon put it behind him with a touch of his star. There were others on the panel and surely they would not allow favouritism. If anything, this confirmed his victory.

For the next few minutes there was a little more pomp and ceremony on the TV floor, a review of the past contestants and their previous work before finally the winner was announced. There was a dramatic pause and both boys were shocked when they heard the name. "Adrian Agreste."

Edwin frowned as he watched everyone congratulate the stunned blonde, talking about his new contract and taking him off to another room before Edwin storming off on his own. He closed his hand into a fist. "It's rigged. That blonde... he's not that pretty after all. He's just got a rich father."

He looked up suddenly and saw some interns were staring at him so he turned and hurried to his dressing room, looking over all the good luck cards and tokens from his admirers were waiting for him. He let out a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. "Adrian Agreste... has everything handed to him on a platter. And I... I have to work so hard to get anything! It's not fair!" He looked around him, at the gifts and cards before frowning at them, picking up one slightly older card that was on his counter, opening it up.

_Saw you on the TV today. You were the best! Hope You Win! Not that you need it but I've sent you my lucky pin! Maybe one day when you won, you can return it to me. From S B xx_

He frowned at the words before touching his little star. On the first day of filming someone had sent it to him and he'd worn is as a hope of getting the public on his side, showing he appreciated his fans and had worn it for every single shoot since but now… whoever S B was, he knew they would have turned to Adrian Agreste's side when the final result came in. _Worthless! All of them! Worthless! He doesn't disserve their attention!_

A little black butterfly slowly came in from the window and joined the remains of the pin on his jacket, twisting into blackness. As a voice filled his head.

_"Star Boy, I am Hawk Moth. You think that boy is worthless? Well then, with my help, everyone will soon see belong the place under the light, who is the one who gave everything to make the show keep going."_

Edwin smiled to his reflection. "Those who support Agreste… will just have to go." He whispered as a wave of dark black miasma washed over him before disappearing and leaving a teen with dark yellow skin and brown hair in an open jacket to reveal his bare chest, a short pair of tight white pants and some knee high purple and white boots, his eyes masked in a purple scrap of fabric.

He smiled and looked down at his hands, covered in white gloves before pulling one off and touching a beautiful bunch of roses, laughing manically as he made his way out of his room.

Behind him, the roses began to wilt and dry up.

Marinette giggled happily as she sat outside with Alya in the audience of the TV studio. Sure, the hard stuff, the contest, the winner and the filming had already been done but the reaction shots were to be done to a live audience. Adrian had been kind enough to get his friends tickets to come and see it and now the girls and Nino were sat waiting. Any moment now, the curtain would rise and the winner revealed.

Even if Edwin was the favourite to win, and dissevered to win, she still hoped Adrian would.

Everyone in the crowd was waiting anxiously but finally the music began, the cameras turned on and everyone screamed with excitement. For a bit a few members of the crew came out to entertain everyone but then a new scream rang out of a direct kind; the crowd turning to see a young teen in t-shirt with the word 'I 'Heart' Agreste' shirt as her face twisted and mutated into something spot covered and with a singular brow.

The crowd gasped with horror as she fell to her knees and covered her face, a half dressed man behind her was revealed. He smiled coldly as he reached to his hand and began teasing off the gloves he wore. "Let me make this easy for you all." He said, putting them in his pocket. "You all think Adrian Agreste is a pretty? Well…" He grabbed another fan girl, his touch slowly transforming her into a bearded lady. "Not when I get done with him. But don't worry…" he moved towards another girl, holding her. "You'll all be joining him."

The audience member gasped as she was given a massive nose and bucked teeth.

Star Boy laughed but at that moment, the stage curtains lifted, clearly not knowing what had been happening in the audience and Adrian Agreste walked on, smiling to everyone before realising they weren't even watching him. Following his gaze to the peculiar teen he realised what was going on just as the Akuma smirked and took a massive jump from the sides of the theatre right to the stage, standing before Adrian and lifting up his hand. "Adrian Agreste." He chuckled, stretching out his hand. "Come now, it's time for your close up."

Adrian gasped and backed away, looking around in hopes of finding some way to escape but as the yellow skinned man came closer, he realised he was trapped.

Suddenly a familiar wire wrapped around his stomach and he was hosted off the ground with an oddly girly scream coming from his lips. Ladybug released him once they were on the gangway above. "Sorry for the rough extraction." She said with a charming smile.

Adrian blushed. "Ummm… no problem. Thanks for the save."

"Don't count your blessing yet, he's still after us. Come on, we have to run." Grabbing his arm by the wrist and trying to keep her head in 'save the boy' not 'oh my god, I'm holding Adrian!' mode, she ran as fast as she could along the lighting rack until they came to a door, opening it up and heading down the stairs.

At the base, they were greeted not only by Star Boy, but also Peacock as she engaged him, keeping him away from the others. "Ladybug, get him out of here, I'll hold him off."

Ladybug nodded and dragged Adrian toward the nearest fire escape while Peacock hurried forwards to catch Star Boy before he could get around her, using the wide side of her fan to engage him while avoiding his touch. _Remind me to up my hand-to-hand training with Chat._ She thought to herself as he lashed for her again. She was certain she could still fight if he did 'ugly' her but she didn't really want to risk it.

During one sweeping manoeuvre, she managed to kick the Akuma across the stage and into the audience and while many of them had made an escape, some wanted to stay and watch the fight, filming it for blogs or friends. Alya was naturally one of them but so was a dark haired boy Annamarie hadn't noticed was also in the audience when she had been.

Star Boy followed her eyes and smirked before doing some very acrobatic displays and summersaulting over towards the handsome boy with dark brown hair.

Louie Alard gasped before the masked man placed a hand on his shoulder then ran past him, tapping anyone he passed and making it out the front door. Peacock knew she should follow him but she couldn't help herself as she stopped at her dance partner's side. "Hey, you alright?" She asked, hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her; his face was all droopy and sagging and his nose now had a massive wart on the end. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but wince a little. "Oh."

Louie turned and caught his reflection in a nearby door and his eyes widened before he covered his face. "No… now… now I'll never get her to look at me. How will I ever ask her out now?"

Blinking, realising he must have a crush on someone, Peacock touched his shoulder again. "Hey, two things; one, whoever it is you like, I'm sure they will like you however you look. And two; once we catch and defeat this Akuma, everything will go back to normal. So stay here inside where it's safe, alright? I have to go help Ladybug."

He looked up and nodded to her. "Alright, thank you Peacock."

"Glad to see you're not stammering by the way." She winked playfully. "Guess my magic worked. Right, I have work to do. Stay safe!" She called, running for the door. The hallway was filled with different people, most of them having been 'uglyfied' by Star Boy.

Peacock ran down past them and out into the street, searching for Star Boy before frowning and giving up, flying up to a roof for a better view and opening up her communicator. "Ladybug, how you doing?"

"I've got Adrian and we are making our way towards the school now. It's the safest place I know. What about Star Boy?"

The blue sighed. "I lost him. Sorry. I'll make my way towards you and search from the sky."

"Alright. And call if you see that alley cat."

She nodded and closed the link, taking off into the sky.

* * *

 

"I just knew Andre would be perfect. He always is." Chloe Bourgeois chuckled as she and Sabrina walked out of the latest salon, Sabrina carrying a small mountain of new purchases while Chloe just checked her reflection in a compact mirror. "I just know Adrian will fall for me like this."

"Adrian you say?" Came a voice.

She looked up to see a yellow skinned man in a purple jacket, slowly removing a pair of white gloves in front of her. She scoffed. "Whoa, and I thought Marinette's fashion was bad. What happened to you? Charity van run you over?"

Oddly, he smirked. "Oh, this should be interesting." He said, reaching towards her.

The teen jumped back. "Hey! Back off!"

Having carefully put the parcels down, Sabrina stepped quickly between the pair. "You heard her! Hands off!"

Star Boy blinked but then laughed, reaching out for the girl with glasses, catching her cheek. Instantly her natural freckles became much larger and her nose so wide her glasses fell off while the frames themselves became square and thicker than they already were where her smooth hair became a frizzy puff ball.

Chloe nearly screamed at her friend's transformation and jumped backwards as she took a 'martial art' pose. "Don't… don't you dare touch me! I know kung fu you know! And… and I'm friends with Ladybug! You touch me, she will make you pay!"

The Akuma smiled again, stepping back before jumping forwards, his hand brushing against the girl's as they passed. On the other side of her, he pulled his glove back on and looked to see how she'd changed.

A frown came to his lips when he saw nothing happened, the blonde just looking over her hand and face in a compact. "Humm, guess even my powers have limits."

Chloe frowned at him. "What's that meant to mean!"

He smirked and shrugged. "You're already uglier than I could make you." He said before running off down the street, leaving the girl to scream.

* * *

 

In an alleyway not far from the school, Ladybug sighed and looked at the boy behind her as he bent over for breath before wincing a little. "Oh, sorry Adrian, I… I forget normal people can't run as well as I can."

He held up a finger, pausing her for a bit before he finally sat up with a deep inhale. "No, it's alright Ladybug. But… maybe I should find somewhere safe to hide? And then you and Peacock can take care of the Akuma."

"No, the best thing is for you to stay with me." She stated, looking around. "Star Boy will come after you, no matter where you are and with me here, I can protect you."

Adrian smiled giddily as he moved towards her. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather have as my protector."

She looked at him and her cheeks turned slightly pink, unable to believe that she was standing less than a few inches away from the love of her life. Not that she would ever say it.

And Adrian was struggling with an internal conflict; stay with Ladybug or get away and transform into Chat Noir. A few months ago, the choice would have been easy; transform. But now they had Peacock so… it wouldn't hurt to miss this fight unless he was absolutely needed.

Sure the girls would shout at him later on patrol but he'd make some excuse up to cover his tail.

He didn't realise he'd been staring at her until she looked down and brushed some hair over her ear. "You know…" She said, almost shyly. "If you have any ideas on this Akuma… I'd appreciate the help."

Standing up a little straighter, he gulped at her beautiful expression. "Ah… why would you need help from someone like me? I mean, I'm just a nobody. But you… you're the amazing Ladybug; you always know just what to do and… you're way smarter than me. Braver too! I mean, you saved me. Even now, you're still saving me. Not that you have to. I mean… I'm nothing special. You're the special one."

Ladybug turned her back on him quickly just so he didn't see her blushing and ecstatic expression, thinking over and over in her head about how he had just complimented her.

Behind her, Adrian bit his lip, a little worried he'd said something wrong. "Umm… Ladybug?"

She turned back and her face was still slightly pink. "Umm, it's nothing. Just… well, you are special too Adrian. Everyone looks up to you. You're an amazing guy and… well… even I admire y- how well you are liked and how you are not afraid to be yourself." Ladybug caught herself before she blurted out something even more embarrassing, or accidently confessed to Adrien while being Ladybug. She was so worried that she missed a strange delighted look on Adrien's face.

He smiled at her praise but was freaking out over how wrong she was. Chat Noir was the amazing one. The one everyone admired. As himself, he was a liar, as far from himself as he could be. He was about to speak to her when suddenly something dropped down in front of them. Royal Peacock blinked at the pair. "What are you two doing here?! Star Boy is just around the corner and you… you're chatting! Ladybug, akuma, bad guy, battle. Ring any bells."

Ladybug and Adrian both blinked at her then looked slightly embarrassed at being caught. "You're right. Any ideas?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here!" Peacock said, looking behind her as Star Boy walked down the road. "Now."

The trio ran, Ladybug thankful for her ally's great timing, saving her from a very awkward moment and getting, as she said, her head back in the game. Adrian meanwhile was cursing her, ruining a perfectly good moment. Still, she had a point.

They ran to a wide street, looking up and down it. Peacock frowned as she saw no where they could hide and turned on the spot, fan out as Ladybug span her yo-yo so fast it created a solid circle. "Adrian, stay behind us." She said as Star Boy stood before them. "We'll keep you safe."

The Akuma grinned before his eyes were lit up with a purple butterfly as he listened and went silent. "You can't keep him safe. I will have him. And while I'm at it, I'll take your miraculous too."

Peacock soon moved to engage, fan up and open to protect herself from his touch, his close quarter attacks glancing over her and around her. Ladybug kept towards the back to protect Adrian but that didn’t stop her from coming forward and throwing her yo-yo, wrapping it around Star Boy’s wrist to stop him grabbing Peacock but he slipped out of the wire each time.

The blue miraculous backed off, staying between Ladybug and Adrian and Star Boy. “Where is that stupid cat! I need the help.” She growled, her back turned to Adrian so didn’t see him flinch. “Ladybug, we need to find the Akuma item. Ideas?”

“No idea. But maybe this will help.” She pulled her yo-yo back and threw it into the sky. "Time to end this. LUCKY CHARM!"

After a moment, a long stick appeared in her hands, marked at set intervals. "Wa? A ruler?"

"You can rule my world." Adrian joked from behind her before remembering he was himself and not Chat. But Ladybug looked back at him and gave an honest laugh while Peacock gave him a weird 'are you serious' look.

Meanwhile, Star Boy was preparing for another attack. Peacock looked at her ally. "I'll keep him busy." She said, hurrying forward.

Ladybug just turned the ruler over in her hands and frowned. "What am I meant to do with this?"

"I don't know. But you'll figure it out Ladybug." Adrian said, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You always do."

As she looked at him and smiled, her spots vision suddenly kicked in, highlighting Adrian and a nearby shop window before catching Peacock and Star Boy and smiled. "I got it! Adrian, go stand by that window!"

He nodded and did as told while Ladybug ran over to Peacock. "Peacock! Down!" She yelled while taking the ruler and swinging it like a baseball bat towards Star Boy. Peacock ducked just in time and the ruler caught the akauma's out stretched hand and forcing him backward, colliding with his own hand.

Ladybug smiled at the collision then ran over to Adrian and Peacock. "Peacock, illusion on the window. Now."

"What? Are you…"

"Trust me."

With a shrug, the blue hero did as told and cast the magic on the window just as Star Boy came running over. As he did, the three jumped to the sides and allowed him to see the reflection in the window. Although the Akuma magic hadn't affected him, the illusion did and had altered his reflection into a weird long shaggy haired man with rounded flat nose.

He screamed a dramatic 'NO!' and staggered backwards, hands over his face and tripped over a yo-yo wire Adrian and Peacock had strung them behind him. As he fell and landed on his back, Ladybug jumped into action and grabbed the star pin off his jacket.

Peacock frowned. "When did she work that one out?" She asked herself as the butterfly tried to escape only to be caught and pulled back. Ladybug released the miraculous ladybugs and sighed before hearing a familiar warning bleep from her ears. The two heroines looked at the two teen models as Edwin was released from his transformation and looked around dazed and confused.

Ladybug smiled at the blonde. "Hey, Adrian, will you do me a favour?"

"Anything for you Ladybug."

"Can you look after Edwin for me. I have to go." She chuckled then threw out her yo-yo. "Bug out!" She called before swinging away.

Peacock, with a little more time, turned to the model. " _'Rule my world?_ '" She repeated. "Seriously, you need a hobby. You're not her type."

He glared at her. "Whatever birdie." He said before realising his mistake as a flash of recognising went over his partner's face.

It was soon gone as she heard a bleep and poked him with her fan. "Only Chat gets to call me Birdie, Adrian." She huffed and took to the air, vanishing not long after.

* * *

 

The next day, school was back to normality but as soon as the Agreste heir walked into school, Nino grabbed him and pulled him to the side as they walked up to class. "Hey! I cannot believe it! I read all about it on the Ladyblog! You were saved by Ladybug **_and_** Royal Peacock?! Dude, that so cool! You're super lucky!"

Adrian blinked as he took it in. "Wait, what… how… how many people know?"

"How about… the whole school!"

He sighed then blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh man…"

As soon as he stepped into the class room, every member of the class quickly came around him, Alya with her phone at the ready. "Hey, Adrian Agreste, yesterday you were the target of an Akuma and were saved by Royal Peacock and Ladybug and now the whole world wants to know, what was it like?"

Adrian shrugged and thought about it. "Well, Ladybug was amazing, so smart and brave, saved me from Star Boy and everything. I can't thank her enough for her bravery." He paused and remembered their conversation and how she admired him. But then a certain someone interrupting them and he had to hold back a malicious grin. "But Royal Peacock? She was... a little stuck up if you ask me." He said for the camera. "She's really… bossy and lives up to her name. A _royal_ pain. Still cool but more in a 'cool you can fly' kind of way."

Over in her seat, Annamarie glared daggers at the blonde. _What did you just say you little dork?_ She mentally shouted, huffing and turning her back on him. _Well, that's the_ _last time I save you from being uglyfied, you big baby._ Annamarie vowed mentally, as she rolled her eyes at Adrien in the middle of the crowd of excited teenagers, who were laughing at the blonde's bird 'jokes'.

Unnoticed by everyone, Marinette was sitting on her place, her face red as tomato as Adrien continued to praise the quick thinking and prowess of Ladybug as she saved him. She wondered dreamily if this is what was like to die from happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I did Ladrien. And I plan on doing all four of the square so just wait and see who comes next.
> 
> Good News: the next couple of chapters are ready to go!
> 
> Bad News: My battle writer Zero has gone away and I'm not sure when they will be back.
> 
> So, I need someone to help fill in until Zero comes back! If you want to help write the fights PLEASE let me know. I am real need of help! Turning a Feather needs help!
> 
> But even if you don't want to help write, let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10 - Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tribute to the heros of Paris goes a little wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to avoid starting Notes but I noticed something the other day and I’m hoping you can help me with it.  
> MY SUMMARY SUCKS!  
> Pardon my language but it does. It really, truly, sucks. It’s horrid! I think I was half asleep when I wrote that. I mean have you read it?  
>  _Bonjour! My name is Annamarie Tolrana. Perhaps you've heard my name before? I'm a famous Prima ballerina after all, following my mother's footsteps. I only just moved to Paris and I love it here! Even more since I get to fly around it as the miraculous known as 'Royal Peacock', the newest Hero of Paris as I now fight alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir to protect my new home._
> 
> IT SUCKS!  
> So, challenge for you out there, write a new summary for ‘Turning a Feather’ and the best one is used on the story here on AO3, on DeviantArt and on Fan Fiction.net. So, do your best! Now, enjoy the chapter!

#  Chapter 10 - Festival 

Slightly sleep deprived, Annamarie groaned to herself as she headed down the road to school. Training with the ballet and then training with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the same night had left her exhausted and barely with the strength to move. Needlessly, she was not in the mood for school.

Sighing, she rolled her shoulders and lifted her head, putting on an arrogant smile and heading inside but stopped at the top step. Class wasn’t meant to start for another half hour and yet the courtyard was deserted. Quickly she checked her watch then lifted it to her ear to ensure it was still ticking.

“Annamarie!”

She turned on the spot at the high pitched long call of her name, she spotted a very amused looking Chloe walking towards her. “Darling, something wrong with your phone? I’ve been calling you all morning.”

“Sorry, forgot to put it on charge last night, battery’s dead. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Well, what are you doing here for a start?”

“Umm… going to school?” She replied like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Chloe laughed again and hooked her arm in her friend’s. “Oh silly, did you forget we have today off? So we can go to the festival?”

Annamarie blinked, trying to remember. “Festival?”

“The Ladybug Festival?”

Now it all clicked into place. “Wait, that’s TODAY?!”

“Yes silly. I can’t believe you forgot!”

Hand over her face, Annamarie groaned. “I thought it was next week.” _No wonder Ladybug said she was excited for tomorrow._ She thought to herself. Peacock had been too tired to think about it at the time but it all made sense now.

“They closed the school so everyone can go. So come on! We’re missing all the fun!”

Arm in arm, the two went across town to the festival, a large block of the city closed off so a funfair could be set up along with stalls selling food and merchandise, banners and posters covered every surface with images of Ladybug or Chat Noir on every one of them. There were games themed around them like ‘Butterfly catch’ and ‘hook a cat’. Even the food was themed.

The whole area was a black, red and green tribute to the heroes of Paris.

But as Annamarie passed some children dressed up as the heroes, her smile fell. Chloe appeared to pull herself out of her ladybug fan girl moment to notice her suddenly sullen expression. “Hey? What’s up?”

The other forced a smile. “What? Nothing’s up.”

“Then what’s with the look?”

Casually shrugging, she decided to express what was on her mind. “Well… I just feel sorry for Peacock that’s all.”

The blonde looked at her like she had two heads. “What? Why?”

“Look around.” She said, waving her hand at the displays and stands. “I can see red and green and black but no blue. I mean, she’s a super hero too, right?”

“Well… yeah but she’s just their sidekick.”

Her blood froze at the words. As if she’d known that was the reason why but she didn’t want to accept it. Not until now. “Oh.” Was all she managed to say.

Chloe smirked at her. “Oh come on, it’s not that bad. I mean, Royal Peacock’s _alright_ I guess but she’s nothing compared to Ladybug.”

Annamarie didn’t reply, she just began to walk around the festival with her friend, looking at the cat and bug masks, the figurines, sold in singles and as a duo as well as memorabilia of each battle they had faced.

It was stupid, she knew, but it made her heart hurt to realise she wasn’t as important as the others. Then again, she wasn’t as strong or brave or smart as them. She was, as Chloe said, the sidekick.

Chloe had wandered off to buy some Ladybug memorabilia but Annamarie found her way to a bench away from the crowds and sat down, looking out at the bronze statue of the two heroes next to a large stage where the mayor was going to make a speech later.

There were whispers that Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to come as well but she doubted anyone would notice if Peacock didn’t turn up. Her exhaustion was making all this so much worse and she almost wished she was at school, compared to this.

Froufrou poked her head out from her bag. “Annamarie?” She asked carefully. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know Frou. I know I shouldn’t be but… I can’t help but be… jealous. I mean… I know I’m still new to being a hero but… would it hurt to have a little recognition?”

“Annamarie Tolrana I’m disappointed in you.” The kwami said. “You shouldn’t save people for the glory of it but because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Oh I know that Frou. But… look around, you can’t say you didn’t wish there was more of _your_ colour here.”

The bird looked and sighed. “I guess.”

She joined in with the sigh and lowered her head before lifting it again at a young girl’s cry. “Hey! Give it back!” The dancer looked at the shout and saw a young girl in a blue dress jumping up for something that a pair of older boys were holding just out of her reach.

They laughed at her, teasing her. “Come on pipsqueak. If you want it back, you’ll have to fly for it.” He laughed then threw it quickly up into the air, lodging it in the tree, the girl’s face distraught at the action.

Annamarie frowned then stood up. “Hey!” she shouted, walking towards them and watching as the two ran off. Letting out a sigh, the teen looked at the young girl, kneeling to her level. “Hey, you alright?”

She sniffed, eyed locked in the tree. “Can… can you get it back for me? Please?”

The older girl looked up at the tree and at whatever had been thrown up, lodged in the branches out of her reach but she decided to at least try and went to the trunk, judging a path as she looked at it. She wasn’t much a climber but this tree appeared to have some pretty good natural hand holds and she managed to get high enough to shake the branch until the girl’s toy came free. It landed on the ground and the girl grabbed it quickly as Annamarie jumped to the ground. “Thank you!” She cheered happily with a grin.

Annamarie smiled wiping her hands on the back of her dress. “You’re welcome. What is that anyway? A… ladybug yo-yo?”

The girl frowned at her then held out her hands revealing what had been recovered and Annamarie’s eyes widened.

Resting in her hands was a blue fan.

The girl huffed and opened it wide. “Royal Peacock is way cooler than Ladybug! Those boys don’t know what they were talking about. She’s the best!”

“Really?” The hero whispered, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

“Yeah! I mean, mommy got me this brand new Ladybug costume to come here today but I wanted to come as Peacock but they didn’t have any costumes for her so I wore this dress and made this fan all by myself!”

The fan was coloured roughly in crayon and the eyes on each part were different shapes and colours, giving it a charming homemade look that Annamarie couldn’t take her eyes off.

Just then, an older woman appeared around a corner. “Oh, there you are Jodie. What have I told you about running off?”

“Not to?”

With an exhausted sigh, her mother took her hand and walked away. “Come on, let’s go see if we can go on the merry-go-round.”

“Ok.”

The two of them walked away and Annamarie was just left in stunned silence. Froufrou’s grin could almost be felt from her bag but before she had chance to comment on it Chloe returned and they went off into the festival once more, the rest of the day passing without much concern. They passed a few classmates here and there but they decided not to push them today. Even Marinette got off with just a smirking glance.

It was getting late and a fireworks display was planned as the final part of the festival after the mayor’s speech and everyone began to crowd around the stage as some pre-speech entertainment began, waiting for the guests of honour.

Chloe had secured two passes to get them to the very front of the stage but Annamarie decided to stay back, saying she didn’t like crowds and was too tired but really it was because she didn’t want to risk Chat Noir or Ladybug to recognise her. The chance was slim, they had already met during the Dark Swan attack and not recognised her but she didn’t want to risk it.

As she made her way towards the back, less crowded places and found a seat to watch in safety while behind her a young girl was practically dragging her mother in the other direction. “But… Jodie… don’t you want to stay and see Ladybug?”

“NO! I want to see Peacock but everyone says she’s not coming so I want to see the fireworks!” She giggled and continued to pull her away.

The fireworks were to be sent off from a barge in the middle of the river, one easily twice as large as the one from when Prince Ali had visited and aboard the boat, a technician was setting up the last of the explosives, checking their triggers when he felt a sharp jolt run up his leg, turning to see a frayed wire with little teeth marks in it, showing the cause. With a sigh, he turned away to get a replacement wire. Behind him, the live wire charge caused a nearby dry rag to go up in flames and the flames began to creep around.

The technician soon returned with a replacement wire but on seeing the flames, let out a loud curse and he turned back to get an extinguisher when his feet got wrapped up in the wire he’d just retrieved and he was sent flying forward, banging his head on a case and knocking himself out. As he lay on the ground, the fire began slip and grow over anything it touched and consumed, setting off fireworks as it went with loud wizzes and whistles.

Above, on the street, Jodie laughed as she saw an explosion just ahead and ran off from her mother. “Come on mom! The fireworks are AHH!” She screamed as one exploded right over her head.

“Jodie! Get down!”

At the command, the little girl dropped into a ball as the noise and explosions continued above her. Her mother tried to move forward but each time a firework exploded and she’d be pushed back.

Back at the festival, the loud music and cheering was drowning out the explosions but Annamarie had wandered far enough to hear them and confused, she ran towards the cause, turning a corner towards the river and gasping at what she saw; the barge flames were clear now and the fireworks went off regularly, filling the air with lights and bangs while in the middle was a child, curled up and terrified to move.

Annamarie gasped as she watched the explosions before backing off and ducked into a dark alleyway, opening her bag. “We need to hurry Frou. Froufrou, feathers up!”

Her clothes were quickly transformed and her eyes masked while Peacock ran over to the mother and pulled her to the side, away from another firework. “Stay here.” She ordered then ran across the fireworks filled road, deflecting any that headed towards her with a sweep of her fan, kneeling down beside the girl and picking her up with one arm. “Quickly, hold onto me.” She told the girl, barely recognising it as the same girl she’d spoke to before. Jodie held her neck tight while Peacock spread the fan out and took quickly to the air, dipping and turning madly to stay away from the rockets as they shot wildly into the air, the heat brushing against her as she flew.

Somehow she managed to navigate around them all and landed near the mother before escorting them both away from the explosions. By now more people had noticed what was happening and were trying help but the explosions kept getting louder, pushing them further back.

“Hey!” Someone shouted from an upstairs window. “There’s someone on the barge!”

Peacock swallowed as she stood in the road. What could she do? There was no Ladybug. No Chat Noir. She was on her own. Could she even do anything without them?

“You can do it Peacock!” Jodie shouted from her mother’s arms.

Looking at the girl and her mother she felt her body tense slightly, preparing itself for what was coming. She couldn’t wait for the others. Someone was in danger and it was her duty to protect the people of Paris, as a hero or sidekick. She had to do it on her own. She narrowed her eyes and set herself to run forward, dodging explosions then took to the sky again, sweeping around the long way to land on the burning boat but now it was now a roaring inferno, fireworks going off madly in any direction as they fell from their holdings, fire and smoke filling the air.

She yelped, ducking down as one narrowly missed her face but she hurried to the fallen technician, turning him onto his back. “Hey, hey can you hear me?”

He groaned but another explosion shook the air and she spread out her fan to its glider setting, using the wider wingspan as a shield as a blast hit the other side. She grunted at the force on her back but held the handle while shaking the man once more. “Hey! Wake up! Come on we need to get out of here!”

He moaned again then slowly pushed himself up, rubbing his head. “What…”

“Are you the only one aboard?” She inquired quickly, helping him crouch behind the shield of the guilder.

“Umm… yeah but…”

“We don’t have time to talk. We need to get you out of here.” She looked around then at her guilder. “Here, take this and hold on tight.”

Doing as told, the man took the handles just before it took to the air, passenger screaming as it did and going over the water to the road. Peacock was pleasantly surprised it worked, she hadn’t known her fan would take someone else but now she had a bigger problem. She was trapped on a burning, exploding boat in the middle of the river without her weapon and no way off. She stepped back, shielding her eyes as the flames came even closer to her, consuming the last untouched fireworks. A box labelled ‘finale’.

It was beginning to sizzle ominously and she gasped. She could hear people screaming for her to get out of there and she decided she had no choice but to jump. Running for the rail, she didn’t hesitate for second as she jumped up and dove clumsily into the river, a second before an explosive shockwave forced her even further underwater and debris began to fall down around her.

Above, the people held their breaths, watching for any sign of her to resurface before suddenly she broke free, taking in a deep gasp, treading water as she looked at the burning remains of the boat, now nothing more than a shell and flames.

“Peacock!”

She turned in the water and spotted the masses of people surrounding the river bank, a few of them climbing down the steps towards her while a couple of them were even wading out towards her. She swam to them, taking their hands as they helped her out of the water and someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders that she gladly accepted. Wiping water out of her eyes and off her mask, she shivered slightly and hugged the throw over her shoulders tight, her head down in disgrace. _I must look a right idiot, soaked to the bone like this._ She sniffed as she made her way up the stairs.

Just as she made it to the road, someone began to clap, slowly at first but gradually it spread and grew louder, whistles and cheers joining the ruckus. Peacock blinked in amazement as she was surrounded by everyone, all of them clapping for her. Just then, everyone cheered a little louder as two familiar bodies joined them in a small circle in the middle of the street.

“Peacock!” Ladybug called, hugging her tight, her suit wet against her even with the blanket. Pulling back, the red hero stared at her friend. “Are you alright?”

“I… I…” She stammered, slightly in shock.

“Peacock saved the day!” Someone shouted suddenly.

“She’s a hero!”

“Three cheers for Royal Peacock!”

The blue heroine blinked at the call, the hip-hips surrounding her, hugging the blanket tight. Ladybug chuckled at her side. “Well, not so ‘side-kick’ after all.”

Stunned, Peacock turned to her. “What?”

“We have ears too Peacock.” Chat said lowly at her side. “And you proved you’re not our lackey tonight. You are as much a hero as us.” He said. “Now come on, we have a festival to enjoy! But… lets avoid the fireworks.”

Peacock shot him a glare and didn’t miss Ladybug smiling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH! Two updates in less than 7 days?! I am spoiling you guys!
> 
> Anyway, I’ve been getting some amazing reviews on this story and I am really thankful for them so keep them up!
> 
> Even more, as I asked last time for some help writing the battles and I had a few people offer to help. One of them is Eeveecat1248 and OMG is she amazing! In the space of about 2 DAYS she perfected chapter 11 (don’t get your hopes on seeing it for a bit, I won’t publish 11 until 12 is done. Sorry.) But the way she wrote the battle, the flow of the three heroes… oh my goodness it was amazing! (Don’t get jealous Knowlee, you’re still my first and favourite ;) ) 
> 
> So Eevee, welcome to the team and I’m sure you will all love her work! With her help, we should have the chapters coming out a lot faster!
> 
> But until then, review and stay tuned. Oh! And don’t forget to submit your summary ideas!


	11. Chapter 11 - Blue Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Jay, the bird able to mimic others.

Fan spread out wide, Peacock quickly used the broad edge to block the punch from some random low class thug she'd caught trying to steal a car as their little fight continued. Just a couple of hours ago, she'd been waiting for the others to go on patrol when Ladybug and Chat Noir came over and told her she could go on her first _solo_ patrol since they had decided that after 3 months of going with them and how she handled everything at the festival, they were confident enough that she could handle herself.

So why did it have to turn into fist fight? And _why_ did it have to happen on the day she'd skipped lunch! Her stomach was growling furiously with each moment and it wasn't improving her mood.

The thief lashed out for her but she jumped back and managed a perfect kick to his side, causing him to fall hard to the ground clutching his stomach. Quickly she took advantage of the situation and grabbed his own hoodie, using it as an improvised pair of handcuffs to tie his hands behind his back. It didn't look like much and was sort of silly but, as Chat had pointed out, it worked in a pinch and soon she had him lying on the floor groaning from the pain while she huffed, lifting her fan and opening up its phone setting. It was a short call to the police, letting them know where she was and what she'd found.

They informed her they were sending a car but it might be a while so she just had to wait, leaning against the wall when her hunger growled loudly again. "Oh shut up." She told her stomach, arms crossed.

"Umm… Peacock?"

She turned to the voice, a young man, with dark hair and a nasty looking cut on his head was stood beside her, keeping away from the thief on the floor but staring at her with wonder. She tipped her head to the side slightly as his face rang a bell in her memories. "Hey… do I know you from somewhere? Your face looks familiar."

"Umm, you saved my life at the festival. I was the technician on the barge."

"Oh yeah!" She chuckled and gave him a much better wider smile. "How you doing?"

He smiled at her. "Good, thanks to you. I had a mild concussion so I was taken to hospital and didn't get chance to thank you last time. But what about you?"

Shrugging, she was about to speak when her stomach growled again, clearly loud enough for him to hear as his fell to her middle and she blushed, the other laughed at her before reaching to the bag he was carrying, pulled out a small box of raisins and passed it over to her. "Here. Can't have Paris' hero staving."

She didn't want to, she felt guilty about taking someone else's food but she did like raisins and she was so hungry that she took it almost without hesitation. "Thank you." She said humbly. "I… missed lunch."

"It's alright. I'm Conner by the way."

"Nice to meet you Conner." She mumbled as she continued to eat. "I don't think I need to introduce myself."

He laughed and nodded. "No, not at all. Everyone knows who you are Peacock and… wow… you're even more beautiful in person."

She blushed at him then swallowed hard. "Umm, thanks. Always nice to meet a fan." Her face fell suddenly and she held up her hands in defence. "Ah! I didn't mean it like that." She ran a hand over her hair. "Dam it, I've been hanging out with Chat for too long."

Conner laughed at her. "So… what you doing out here alone?"

"Ladybug and Chat said I was ready to patrol Paris alone." She said, pride clear in her voice. "I'm… still new to all this so they wanted to make sure I was up to scratch before letting me go off solo. And they said I'm ready!"

"Well, they trained you well then." He blushed. "You took this guy down easy enough. And on an empty stomach."

Popping a few more raisins in her mouth with a smile, she looked around the quite road. "Wonder what's keeping the poli…Ah!" She gasped as the criminal suddenly broke free of his fabric restraints and charged at her, knocking her to the ground.

Conner also gasped as he dropped his bag and tackled the guy from behind, landing on top of him with an 'oomph'. Peacock soon joined him, ensuring the new restrain more effective. "Thanks." She said with a smile.

The other man nodded as he helped hold the man down when two more colourful bodies joined them on the roadside, landing right before them. "Peacock!" Ladybug shouted, clearly concerned. "Are you alright?"

She looked at them and forced a slime. "Yeah. I'm fine, just caught me off guard. Why? Something wrong?"

The red hero frowned at her. "You... you were late coming back so…"

"So you came to check on me?" Peacock finished, standing up with the crook. The others didn't say anything so she frowned. "You are, aren't you? You're checking up on me!"

"We were worried." Chat said as he took the thief from her and handed him to the police who had finally turned up. "This is your first solo."

An anger was suddenly ignited inside her and she began to burn up, snapping out of her mouth. "If I needed you, I would call you! But you don't trust me, do you? That's why you were so close. You weren't just checking up on me, you were _following_ me!"

"Feathers, please, look at it our way." He implored, glad the police were just taking the man and going, not sticking around to listen to them fight. "We just want to make sure you don't get hurt."

The bird folded her arms and turned away from them. "So you saying I was your equal and how confident you were in me was a lie? You don't trust me not to screw up?"

"We do mean it." Ladybug huffed. "You're just… unexperienced."

"Peacock's just as good as either of you!" Conner suddenly interrupted, staring at Ladybug. "You two are the ones with a problem. You need to give her more credit for what she does."

Chat quickly held up a hand to him. "No offence but this has nothing to do with you."

Ladybug didn't even acknowledge his interruption, still looking at the back of Peacock. "Peacock, let's go and talk about this in private."

"I think you have made your point quite clear Ladybug." She snapped, looking over her shoulder at them. "I will see you tomorrow for patrol, since I clearly can't be trusted to go on my own." With that, she took off into the sky and soon vanished from view.

On the ground, Ladybug stomped her foot. "That girl! Perhaps she's not ready to go on her own."

"Told you we should have stayed back." Chat sighed as they left the scene.

As the heroes disappeared into the night, Conner huffed and began collecting his bag of fallen shopping. "Peacock's twice the hero they are." He mumbled. "They don't respect her, treat her like a child. She deserves better than them."

"Now, what's this? Admiration and respect for someone underappreciated? And those feelings leading to anger and frustration? What an unusual concoction of emotions… but such a powerful one. Perhaps I can use this… but, it will difficult. Still, come here my little Akuma, let's see what I can do for this wish."

Conner sighed as he looked at another packet of raisins, just like the ones he'd given Peacock. "Chat Noir and Ladybug don't know how lucky they are." He said to the air, seconds before a butterfly was absorbed into the packet.

_"Blue Jay, I am Hawk Moth. If you listen to me, I will ensure that Peacock gets the partner she deserves. You. And you will get rid of those ungrateful annoying others. But you will have to be very careful for this to work. So, are you up for it?"_

"For Peacock, anything."

Ladybug groaned under her breath as she made her way across Paris, stopping on top of a poster and glaring over, looking for trouble, almost begging for something to happen so she could get rid of some frustration. "She doesn't know how lucky she is." She huffed, more to herself than to Chat. "I mean, I wish I'd had someone to show me the ropes when I started."

"And look how you turned out." Chat reasoned. "Look, Peacock wouldn't have been chosen to be _Peacock_ if she didn't have talent."

Her shoulders sank a little at his words. "I guess."

"And we have trained her well." He continued. "She's head strong, yes, but so are you My Lady, and while her shyness is an issue, it _never_ gets in the way when she is needed. She'll prove herself, you just need to back off and give her a chance. She did at the festival after all. That is why we agreed to let her go off alone."

"Yeah… maybe." She mumbled.

Chat looked at her face a little closer. "You know, maybe it's not Peacock that needs to let go. Perhaps it's you, My Lady."

She looked about ready to comment when the air was filled with a very loud siren right below them, a bank they had stopped above. "What the…" Ladybug said, hurrying to the ground and found the doors were wide open, rushing in to investigate, looking around but the place was deserted. "Hello? Anyone here?"

"Help!" Came a voice. "Help! Over here!"

They ran towards the sound as it came out from behind a large thick round door that lead into the bank's vault. "Hello?" Chat called once inside.

"Over here!" The pained voice called from behind another inner vault door. "Please, help."

The heroes ran inside, looking around the room but apart from a table, it was empty, the walls covered with small doors for safe deposit boxes. "Wait…" Chat said, checking behind the table. "There's no one… MY LADY!" He shouted, watching as the door suddenly slammed closed.

She ran over to it, trying to push it back but it locked loudly into place, causing her to groan as she looked it over. "We must have tripped an alarm or something."

Chat inspected the door for a moment then smirked, lifting his hand up. "CATA…"

"STOP!" Ladybug shouted, grabbing his arm before he could call on the power. "Even if you use Cataclysm on this door, I bet that other one has also closed. And then we'd be stuck with only five minutes."

Lowering his arm, the cat couldn't help but feel stupid for not realising himself. "So what? We just stay here? Wait for someone to let the cat out?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Great." He sighed, sitting down against the table but then he smirked and looked at his partner. "Hey, we could always make out to pass the time."

She groaned and turned back to the door, wondering how long it would take before the cat drove her insane.

Across the city, Peacock didn't want to turn in for the night; it was only just past 8 o'clock so she dropped down to a roof and once she got her balance back, kicked a wall as hard as she could, the pain working to mask the feelings of anger and humiliation that were still running hot inside her. She'd been so happy when Ladybug had told her she could go alone. To hear them say how _proud_ they were of her selfless actions at the festival. Ladybug even said she was a hero on her own right now and the people knew that, they would listen to her and she could protect them on her own.

And then they followed her!

They didn't trust her not to mess it up!

Of course… she knew it was out of care… and concern and… perhaps it had been childish of her to blow up at them and run away… so… maybe… she had over reacted.

She groaned and sat down on the roof, hugging her knees. "Stupid." She muttered before feeling her stomach growl again. A packet of raisins wasn't much to keep her full. Perhaps she should go home, have some dinner. She was pretty sure her mood was caused more by hunger than anything else.

Something suddenly fell by her hand and she looked to see a small packet of raisins. "Oh." She chuckled, picking it back up and opening it. She was sure she'd dropped them earlier but was glad she still had them, opening the cardboard and pouring some onto her glove then throwing them into her mouth, sighing at their sudden strength.

As she looked up at the sky and wondered about her actions, there was a buzzing sound, like a wasp or a bee buzzing right behind her ears, pushing on to the brink of her forehead. Covering her eyes, she rubbed her head and tried to think clearer.

"Peacock? Peacock are you alright?"

She put her hand down and looked up to the other side of the roof. A hooded caped man in blue with white feathers coming from each shoulder was standing before her, kneeling near with a concerned look from behind his blue mask flecked with white around the edges. For a moment, she couldn't focus, wondering who he was but then it all made sense and she smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine Blue Jay." She laughed. "Just missed a meal or two today. Not thinking straight."

He smiled back, standing and holding his hand out for her. "Well, let's go get something to eat then?"

Standing at his side, the peacock smiled. "Oh no you don't, we have patrol first Jay. Then, _maybe_ I'll let you take me out for breakfast." She gave him a playful wink before heading off for edge of the roof top.

The blue cloaked man blushed as he hurried after her, looking around. "Well, which way you want to go?"

She looked over the roofs then frowned. "Something… something's missing. Something's wrong."

"What? No, nothing's wrong." He insisted. "It's just you and me, the way it's always been." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go patrol Peacock. A good run will clear your head."

With a deep sigh, she pushed her thoughts away and looked at him. "You always know just what to say Blue Jay. Come on, race you."

As she ran off ahead, Blue Jay smiled before a butterfly mask appeared over his eyes.

_"Very good Blue Jay. As long as she does not remember Ladybug and Chat Noir, she is yours. Now go, enjoy your night with her. But do not forget, I will expect payment for my gift eventually."_

The Blue Jay smiled then hurried off to follow her, smiling as he jumped after her, watching her jump and fly so easily around Paris. The two ran out over the city with a smile, stopping irregularly to check for trouble but apart from a teenage boy trying to rob an old woman of her purse and cat stuck up a tree, there was nothing happening for them.

Didn't stop Blue Jay from smiled as he watched her stop and talk to the young boy who'd run away from home after an argument with his mother.

_She's so wonderful. Why can't they see that? Why can't **she** see it? I mean, sure, Ladybug has the magic and Chat Noir the charm but Peacock... Peacock has the heart. _ He smiled at her as she looked at him before realising she was talking to him.

He shook his head free of confusion. "Sorry?"

"I said are you coming?" She repeated, one hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm taking Owen home."

"Oh. Yes, of course I'll come with you." He smiled again and walked beside her, an honour in itself. _Peacock is the greatest of them all. And I will make sure everyone sees it._

Ladybug sighed as she waved her yo-yo over the last corner of the safe. "I'm still not getting a signal."

Chat, still on the floor, shrugged. "Walls are probably lined with… something to stop signals getting in."

"Never had signal problems before."

Lying out against the wall, Chat almost yawned. "Ladybug, just, relax, please. Morning will come and someone will let us out. We just have to wait."

She let out a groan and slid down the wall to the base, looking at her yo-yo before snapping it shut and frowning. "Well, since we have some time, why don't you explain what you meant?"

"What do you mean?"

"On the roof, you said…" She shifted and turned to stare at him from behind the mask. "You said, maybe I need to let go. What did you mean?"

Chat shifted slightly then shrugged. "When we met Peacock, she was… shy… inexperienced… untrained and… a child."

"Yeah, so we have to protect her."

"But she's not anymore Ladybug. We trained her, she's got the experience and she can handle herself."

"I get that."

He shrugged. "So why did you insist we followed her tonight?"

Ladybug hugged her knees. "Because… I worry about her. I worry about all of us whenever there is trouble. I worry every day that we will… will fail."

"But that's what being a hero is about. We accept the risk of failing every time we put on the mask."

"Yes. But doesn't stop me. I care about you, Chat. I care about Peacock. I care about Paris and everyone in it. I know I can fix things with my power but I'm worried there will come a day… when something happens that I won't be able to fix. And I'm scared of what I will have to do when that happens."

Chat paused for a moment then gave a small chuckle. "Well, I know we will know what choice to make, should we ever face it but I doubt we will."

She sighed to herself then nodded. "Yeah… you're right."

"You need to let go of thinking Peacock needs us, Ladybug. If anything… we need her." He gave a low chuckle. "Even more if we are going to get out of this safe."

"Almost dawn." Peacock said as she stood on top a building and looked out at the rising sun. "We should head home."

Blue Jay frowned at her. "Wait… Peacock you can't just go! Paris needs us!"

"We will answer her call. As we always do. But we both need to rest." She turned to look at him before reaching out, cupping his cheek under the hood. "You look ready to fall asleep and I can almost hear my bed calling me."

"Well, why don't I come with you?"

Her eyes suddenly turned hard. "Blue Jay, we can't. Rule number one remember? We can't know each other's identities." She blinked then looked away from him. "That's what… what… what… someone… always says." She frowned then rubbed her head.

Blue Jay gulped then stepped over and held her shoulder. "That's what _you_ always say. Sorry, I just… hoped maybe you would let me know. You're right, you head home, you’re clearly tired. I'll see you later."

With a nod, she headed off into the distance while Blue Jay remained where he was, feeling himself get angry. He wanted to be beside her but Ladybug's stupid rule meant he had to wait for the next disaster.

He frowned then turned, heading towards the bank where he knew the others would be; it was still early and he worked there so knew his way in without any trouble, his new hooded and cloaked appearance helping hide him even more. He walked up to the vault and smiled as he watched the two hero's pacing inside. With a cough to clear his throat, he turned on the two way communication to the room. "Hello?" He said, a sweet, female voice coming out, watching with amusement as they bolted to attention.

"Hello?" Chat Noir said, looking around.

"What… are you doing in the vault Chat Noir? And… is that Ladybug with you?"

"Yes." Ladybug confirmed. "We were investigating an alarm last night and… well… the door closed on us."

Blue Jay laughed in his mimic's voice. "Oh dear. Yes, the system does that. But don't worry, I'll let you out."

"Thank you!"

He looked at them on the screen for a moment then pressed a button. Not a control to open the door but one to activate a security measure in the vault, filling it with a knock out gas. He watched as the two stood by the door, waiting for it to open and then fell to the ground.

Then the air was cleared and he unlocked the doors, smirking at their unconscious forms before giving Ladybug a kick on the leg. "Need to move you anyway. Stupid heroes."

A light covered his eyes. _"Blue Jay, while you have them in your control, it is time for you to repay me for my kindness. Take their miraculous. The ring and earrings."_

Blue Jay frowned. "Please, Hawk Moth, I will get you your payment. But please, let me deal with these two my way. They need to see how good Peacock can be without them. I want them to see the hero she is. Give me one more day."

There was no reply for a moment.

_"Very well. You have one day."_

"Thank you." He smiled then looked down at the two then got to work moving them.

Annamarie groaned as she began to run towards school. Her patrol with Blue Jay had left her exhausted and she managed to scoff down a sandwich before turning in for the night and even then she had stayed up late nursing Froufrou who had been in an unresponsive confused state almost the whole night, talking in broken sentences and riddles.

Even as she ran to school, the bird was in her pocket instead of her bag, in no condition to be left alone. She was just around the corner from the school when she heard several loud screams and shouts in the other direction. Eyes furrowing, she wondered what she should do before her head suddenly began to ache and she rubbed her brow, instantly turning and dipping into an alley and pulled the bird out. "Frou, I know you're not feeling well but we have to transform."

He rolled over in her hands. "Anna… think… B-Blue Jay… impersonate."

She shook her head at him and rubbed her forehead. "Blue Jay… will be here soon… I have to help." She panted slightly and groaned, feeling something pressing on her mind, forcing the words out of her mouth. "Froufrou, feather's up."

Seconds later the pressure was gone and she was once more Royal Peacock, flying out to the trouble. She landed on a roof and looked down to see two cars lying abandoned in the middle of the street while four men were shooting at the people outside a bank, the bank’s security firing back but the streets were filled with people it was making it difficult for them. The others weren’t so lenient with their aim and some people were already lying on the ground.

Peacock ran to the roof and gasped at what she was seeing, trying to think of a way to help. A cloaked figure appeared at her side a few seconds. “Plan?” He said.

“I get the bank robbers. You clear civilians.” She ordered, eyes narrow before her fan spread wide and she jumped up into the sky, sweeping at speed to the attacker closest to the bank door, collapsing her guilder and falling right onto his back, the force sending him forwards so he was forced into the ground hard, knocking him out.

The others soon turned for her but her fan spread out to its guilder setting and she dunked down behind it shielding herself from the bullets, backing up behind the pillars of the bank, using it for cover while her fan collapsed into her hand, opening up the camera setting and used it to peer around the pillar.

Blue Jay was helping the police clear the wounded, his cloak flowing behind him as he jumped over the cars.

Peacock meanwhile tracked one of the attackers and with a deep breath, let her fan fall open and threw it at him, the handle colliding with his face and sending him falling backwards, the device magically returning to her grasp and using it again to track the attackers. One, it appeared had been taken out by the police or had surrendered but the last…

Something suddenly pressed into her head. “I wonder if those suits are as magic as they say. Can they stop a bullet?”

Her breath froze and she looked ahead, unsure what to do but suddenly there was a loud thud and the pressure on her head vanished, making her turn, fan at the ready, she saw the last attacker on the floor, Blue Jay standing over him with a rock in his hand and panting hard.

He looked up at her and gulped, dropping his crude weapon and grabbing her instead, hugging her tight to his shoulder. “Let’s… not do that again.” He sighed. “Peacock… that was too close.”

Pushing him away, Peacock smiled to him, her hand reaching out for his cheek just as the press appeared, putting cameras and microphones right into their faces. "Royal Peacock!” One shouted. “What brings you here today? Weren’t you scared? We’ve never seen you take on an armed bank robbery before?"

"I just wanted to do my part to protect Paris." She said honestly.

"And who is your new companion?"

"New? Blue Jay has always been at my side." She chuckled. "It's always been just me and him."

The press all frowned and stepped forwards. "But, what about Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

She frowned. "Who?"

Blue Jay quickly hurried over and grabbed her shoulder. "Peacock, we need to go. Come on."

"What? Oh yes, you're right." She shook herself and went with him, flying up into the air while Blue Jay climbed up the buildings. Once on the roof, she landed and fell to her knees.

Blue Jay ran and knelt beside her. "Peacock!"

"I… I'm alright. Just… light headed."

"Come on, let get you somewhere else." He said, trying to lift her to her feet but she pulled away.

"What did that reporter mean by… Ladybug and Black Cat?"

The man's face sullied. "Nothing. It's nothing. Don't think about it."

"No, no it means something, I know it does. It's…" She rubbed her head, eyes closed as she tried to think past the buzzing in her head. "It's important. Ladybug… and… and Chat Noir."

"Don't think about them Peacock!" Blue Jay insisted, holding her arm and pulling back off her head. "They are nothing. They aren't important. You're the important one. The only one we need. It's just you and me, as it always has been."

"Ladybug… Chat Noir… Ladybug… Ladybug…"

"You don't need them Peacock! Don't think about it! You're the real hero! Not them!"

"Need… need them…" Peacock repeated to herself before it all snapped back into place and she pushed herself up from her feet. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! How could I forget them?" She gasped, looking over the city before turning. "You. You… you put a spell on me to make me forget them!"

Blue Jay frowned as he stood up. "I just wanted you to see how much of a hero you are! The whole of Paris now knows that they don't need Ladybug when they have you Peacock. They _finally_ have it into their heads that you are more of a superhero than they will ever be. That robbery today _proved_ it!"

"All that robbery proved is that I need my partners."

"I am your partner!" He shouted at her, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm… I'm the only one you need."

She stared at him for a moment, looking under his hood before spotting a small scratch on his head. Her eyes went wide as she worked out who it was. "Conner."

He let her go and turned away. "I'm Blue Jay."

"You're an Akuma."

He frowned and looked back at her. "I am all you need. And soon, you won't have a choice but to be with me."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, won't have a choice?"

He shrugged lightly. "Just that… now that Paris knows they don't need Ladybug and Chat Noir… they don't _need_ Ladybug and Chat Noir." He smirked then turned, running away from her and towards the other side of the building, stopping and looking back. "I'm doing this for your own good Peacock. I don't want to hurt you."

She stood still, watching him leave before shaking herself and running after him, jumping from roof to roof after the blue cloak, watching him hurry towards the river and down out of her sight. At the edge, she skidded to a stop and looked around frantically, trying to spot him but there was no sign of him anywhere but then she noticed a barge moored nearby with light coming from inside.

Dropping down carefully, she hurried over and climbed aboard, making her way slowly to the doorway and peering down.

Below deck was a long high open space filled with a few dozen boxes of display quality fireworks and two people tied back to back with thick ropes in the middle, a pole holding them in place. Blue Jay smirked as he pulled down his hood and revealed very little had changed about his head apart from the mask but from behind, Peacock noticed that in his hood was a small packet, kind of like a packet of raisins but dark blue and marked with a white feather.

"You know Ladybug." He said as he moved around the room, stretching a wire from box to box of fireworks with him. "You really should have given Peacock more attention and then none of this never would have happened."

"What are you going to do to us?"

"Well, I'm a banker by day but I work for a fireworks display team at night." He chuckled. "These… are the replacement fireworks display from the festival. _Your_ festival.” He tied the wire off on one of the boxes and turned to face them. “So, I'm going to use them to send you two off… with a bang."

Ladybug stared at him as he returned to setting the explosives up but then noticed something move behind him and her eyes widened when she spotted Peacock, finger to her lip. With a minute nod, she poked Chat behind her, alerting him to her presence as she slowly made her way down. Chat smiled then turned his head towards the Akuma. "Hate to be cliché but you'll never get away with this."

He turned, attention locked on the black cat. "Who's going to stop me? You two? You're jokes!"

"Maybe." Chat smirked, staring him in the eyes. "But she's not."

Blue Jay span on the spot just in time as Peacock punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground hard while she hurried to the others and opened up her fan, using the curved edge like a knife, cutting the ropes clean. "Ladybug I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, I never should have run off. I'm sorry…"

"We can play the blame game later." Ladybug interrupted. "First, let's deal with the Akuma."

Chat bowed as he shrugged off the last of the ropes and tipped his head to the side. "Ladies first." He said, just before Ladybug sprinted past him, swinging her yo-yo. Peacock joined her, fan spread out to display the vibrant colours, both of them wearing their war faces, a stark contrast to Chat's goofy smile and Blue Jay's confident smirk.

The two girls didn't have to look at each other to know the plan; Ladybug went left, Peacock went right while Chat went for the centre attack, running with his arms pumping between the two different paths and jumped as high as he could, bringing his baton down with his weight behind it, causing Blue Jay to slide to the left, where Ladybug stood waiting.

The red and black clad hero swung her yo-yo high, the vibrant disc deceptively cheerful looking, and the Akuma ducked, rolling backwards, where Peacock had anticipated his movements, and slammed her fan where his head would have been if he hadn't jumped up to the rafters at the last moment.

"What are you doing Peacock?" Blue Jay shouted down as he stared at his opponent. "You are so much better than them! All they tell you… are lies. They are holding you back. The only real hero here is you Royal Peacock."

Peacock glanced over to the side where Ladybug and Chat Noir were stood, watching her before she nodded. "You're right, I am a hero… but I am not the only hero and while we don't always agree, and sometimes fight, I will never ever forget that I am part of a team."

"Then you will go down with your 'team'!" Blue Jay cried. "If you want to play second fiddle then so be it! I will crush you and your puppeteer!"

He jumped down from the crossbeams with a flashy backflip, cape flying around him as he did then landed behind Chat Noir, launching a high roundhouse kick towards him. Chat sprung into a double back flip of his own then used his baton as a pole to vault over towards Ladybug.

Said heroine instantly launched her yo-yo at him, attempting to wrap his legs up but Blue Jay jumped into a straddle, grabbing the rafters yet again, swinging past Peacock, who was starting to get annoyed by the athletic blue cloaked villain.

The hero dressed in blue jumped into the air and brought her fan down as hard as she could, the resulting wind knocked Blue Jay's balance off, causing him to slip, right into Chat's hard left hook, the blow sending the Akuma flying across the room and smashing his face against the wall. He quickly recovered and did a reverse somersault into a battle ready stance.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo once more, dots swirling into a blur as it was sent on a bee-line for Blue Jay's face. He raised his right arm in a sideways block, knocking the disc away. He jumped forwards, grabbing the string with his left hand and pulled so hard that Ladybug lurched forwards, stumbling as the grinning villain pulled her in.

Meanwhile, Chat and Peacock converged on Blue Jay's location, weapons drawn so he was forced to let go of the magical string and jump free of the two furious heroes out to smash his face in.

The two sides stood panting from the exertion, staring each other down on opposite ends of the barge. Ladybug broke the silence, crying out "Lucky Charm!" as she did and from the spinning disk fell... a fork. All four of them stared at the polka-dotted object with confusion.

Blue Jay laughed mockingly. "That? Our mighty heroes stand unopposed, for we must fear their mighty fork!"

The heroes all glared at him before the cat took a deep breath. "All right." Chat said, ready for the attack. "Ladybug, you think about how to use the-" He giggled. "Fork. And Peacock and I will hold him off until then."

The girls gave him an extremely unhappy look.

"What?” He cracked a smile at his own. “Aren’t you a- _mew-_ sed?"

Quickly recovering from auditory assault, Blue Jay sprinted forwards, feathers on his cape streaming behind him. Chat threw his baton at him, watching as it split in two, one on a collision course for the dark haired head the other for his feet but the Akuma just rolled to the side to dodge, not slowing down in the slightest while Chat jumped to catch his baton as it returned to him.

Meanwhile Peacock ran by him, her fan spread out and ready as she feinted a jump, then slid across the floor, her colourful weapon sweeping his legs out from under him where Chat’s baton had failed.

Blue Jay rolled backwards, down temporarily, giving the heroes a moment to think as he convulsed on the ground, as if breakdancing.

"I got it!" Peacock yelled. "Ladybug! Chat! Spread the yo-yo string out like a tripwire, but higher!" Her allies complied, somewhat confused, as the bird-themed hero grabbed the fork as she passed by, using the curved edge of her fan to carve a notch at the end of the handle then placed the notch inside the string, essentially making a giant slingshot. Her friends looked at her with admiration, understanding what she meant to do.

Meanwhile, Blue Jay got back on his feet and started his run yet again, stopped only by the flying fork as it came flying past him and pinning his cloak to the wall. He struggled pitifully while Peacock grabbed the box of raisins tucked in his collar, and chucked it to Ladybug, who tore it in half.

As the Akuma made its escape Ladybug moved quickly to purify it while Blue Jay looked up at the three heroes and smiled at Royal Peacock as she watched the pure butterfly go. "She's amazing…" He whispered before the darkness over him vanished and he was left as himself, looking around in confusion. "Wait… where… where am I?"

Royal Peacock moved to his side and smiled. "Hey, Conner. How are you feeling?"

"Peacock? What… what am I doing here?"

"It's complicated." She chuckled, helping him stand. "But I just wanted to tell you myself that while Ladybug and I… might fight and argue… I know she has my best interests in mind." She glanced back at her comrades. "They want to protect me as I want to protect them. They have my back and I'm never alone. And while it was great being the centre of attention for a night, we are a team and not one of us is more important than the other."

Ladybug nodded as she moved forward, hand on the blue's shoulder. "We didn't follow her tonight because we don't trust her. It's because we worry and want to show our support, we care about each other, like family. We are here for each other when there is no one else." She sighed. "If anything, it's my fear of losing her that made me follow her but tonight I saw she can handle herself." She chuckled and winked. " _More_ than handle herself."

"So you won't be following me again?"

"We'll see birdy." The other chuckled then heard a bleep. "Let's skip patrol tonight, we all need a good night's sleep. Bug out!" Ladybug called as she headed off into the distance, smiling to herself as she realised Peacock and Chat would always be there for her.

Together, they were unbeatable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Been a while I know (I’ll explain why in a bit) but I hope this chapter makes up for it. I told you all last time about the newest member of our team Eeveecat? Well, the battle in this story, from the line ‘I don't want to hurt you.’ To ‘As the Akuma made its escape’ (Including the pun; ‘Are you a-mew-sed?’) are all her work! Ok, I edited it a little but the context is all Eevee! As I said before, SHE IS AMAZING! So I am so looking forwards to the next battle I get to work with her on.  
> Now, the reason it’s been a while is because I have had a super rough week. Anyone who follows me on DA will know that my house was broken into last Monday and my car was stolen. Good news, they caught the… I don’t like to swear but they caught the bastards. The Police had to force him to stop as he was driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway at 70MPH during school drop off hours! Luckily no one was hurt. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if someone got hurt. But in doing so they wrote my poor little car off.  
> I’ve gotten a new one (like 100% fresh out of the show room new) but that’s not the point. Getting back on track is all that matters now and publishing a new chapter is bound to help get me back where I need to be.   
> Extra good news, the next 4 chapters are all complete! They just need a final read and they will be good to publish. If you are EXTRA nice, I might rush them for you all.   
> The other thing is Dawa, my cover artist, great friend and inspiration behind this story, will be having her birthday on the 31st of October! So if anyone wants to get in my good books, send her a happy birthday from her Lady. (StoryLady not Ladybug Lady) On Fan Fiction she’s DF-chan and DA she’s LoveHinaSasu.  
> But for now, everyone, take care out there, don’t forget to review and see you next time! Byee!


	12. Chapter 12 - Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Masquerade

# Chapter 12 - Masquerade

Annamarie groaned as she rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the headache pressing against her skull. "I do not need this." She mumbled to her partner. "I mean, isn't the ballet popular enough without us… humiliating ourselves like this? For what? Publicity?"

Louie chuckled at her side and shrugged. "Come on, it's not going to be that bad. And besides, it reaches a wider audience. I'm surprised you're not excited; you're the prima after all, you should love being in the spot light."

"On stage, yes. Not in front of a TV camera." She mumbled, giving gave him a hard glare then went back to stretching while her eyes wandered over the TV studio, watching people hurry around in preparation for the show. Along the wall with them were two more pairs also getting ready, one of them being none other than Nino Lahiffe and Adrian Agreste while the others were some boy and girl she'd never seen before.

The TV show was about the range and diversity of music and dance in Paris, Annamarie and Louie representing classical while Adrian and Nino were representing hip hop and the other pair were from some jazz club.

She groaned again and pushed her hair back into place. "This is just a waste of time."

"You might be surprised." Her partner said with a smirk.

"Everyone? Can I have you all over here please?" Alex, the presenter for the show, called from the middle of the room, summoning the teenagers over before nodding. "Right so, we're just getting ready for the rehearsal and camera tests. So, would the ballet dancers please take to the stage?"

Turning around for the green screened stage, Annamarie sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

The others came around to watch as the two began to perform a short but elegant segment of their new show, Annamarie's reluctance vanishing as soon as she heard the music, performing as she always did on the stage. Then it was Adrian and Nino's turn for rehearsal, Adrian doing some hip hop break dance while Nino scratched out some 'noise' as Annamarie called it, which was the time she decided to leave the room to check on Frou for a bit. Plus, Adrian kept giving her disapproving looks.

Finally it was the jazz pair's turn, the girl playing the saxophone while the boy danced. Or tried to. He soon froze up on the spot and the cameras had to cut, Alex walking over with a forced smile. "Hey, kid, you do know the aim of the show is the dance, right?"

His partner, a girl with dark short hair, groaned as she walked over to him. "Come on Jack! We talked about this. You're the best dancers in the class so quit being such a scaredy-cat!"

Jack looked at her then at the ground. "Sorry Lisa. I just… I don't like people watching me dance." He mumbled.

"Well." Alex said. "Let's take a quick snack break. And when we come back we will give it another try, alright?"

The rest all agreed and they headed off to the sides, Louie not hesitating in going to find something to eat while Annamarie headed to her bag, having promised to call her mother when she got a chance.

Stepping into the hallway where it was quieter, she soon explained how annoyed she was at the situation and how she would have to dance with cameras right in her face which she wasn't comfortable with and promised to do her best before hanging up and groaned. "Why me?" She mumbled.

"Know the feeling."

She turned to the voice and saw the jazz dancer, Jack was sat on the floor down the hall from her. With a curious frown, she walked over and crouched beside him, looking him over. He must have been younger than her but he was much taller, his skin dark like Nino’s and his hair black, short and curly. "Not your idea to come here either I take it?" She asked, remembering what his partner had shouted at him.

"Nar. Teach said I was the best and told me to come. He really hopes it will help me over my stage fright. You know, performing to a small crew of cameras?"

"Oh?"

"Not working."

"I see."

"You know, I got to ask; how do you do it?" He inquired, looking at her with dark brown eyes. "I mean, you clearly don't wanna be here but when you dance, you were so… easy with it."

The teen smiled at him and shrugged. "Simple. I put on the mask."

"Mask?"

"Yeah. I don't want to be here but as soon as I start dancing, I put on the mask of a dancer. And when I stop, I take it off. It's easy when you get used to it. I use the trick all the time."

"But… how?"

"Well." She thought about it then shrugged. "Do you have a dancer you admire?"

"Yeah?"

"So, pretend you are them. Pretend to act the way they would. And you'll be fine." She chuckled then stood up. "Come on, we should head inside."

With a newly reformed strength, Jack stood up and followed her back to the studio, grabbing his bowler hat and smoothly put it on his head, walking right over to his partner and smiled at her. "Hey, Lisa, ready to give it another go?"

She frowned at him. "What's changed your tune?"

He glanced over at the ballerina as she stood talking to her own partner who was laughing at her. "Just… had a good talk." He turned back towards Alex. "Hey, can we have another try?"

"Alright little dude." The presenter chuckled. "Stage is yours."

With a smile, the two Jazz artists took the stage, Lisa with her saxophone, playing a swift easy tune while Jack smiled, thinking how his favourite dancer would act in his place, merging himself to that role, putting on 'the mask of another dancer' and playing the part perfectly. He couldn't believe it, such a simple trick and his stage fright was gone!

He'd have to thank the dancer later. He could perform now for the cameras as well as when he was alone or in class. It didn't matter that hundreds… thousands of people would be… staring at him… judging his every move… before he knew it, the mask slipped and he was Jack again, tripping over his feet and falling forward, landing flat on his face, the music stopping abruptly as his hat rolled away from him.

Lisa stood glaring at him as he stood up. "Ahh! You're hopeless Jack! I'm going to call teach and ask him to send someone else. You were doing so well too!" She growled then stormed off, Jack speechless behind him.

His eyes travelled from person to person, all of them clearly annoyed at his failure. Apart from the dancer who'd given him the trick. She just looked disappointed.

Grabbing his bowler and pulling it down over his eyes, he ran as fast as he could out of the studio, noting no one was following him before stopping and sliding down the wall, head in his hands. "Even wearing a mask I freeze. I'm so… pathetic."

His depression, desperation and regret were perfect for a little black moth that came fluttering in and absorbed into his hat. He looked up on hearing Hawk Moth promise him a mask everyone would envy, one he could control. He accepted without hesitation.

Annamarie sighed to herself as she watched the poor boy run off. "Dam it. I thought it worked too. He was doing so well."

"What worked?" Louis asked at her side.

"Oh, just a stage fright trick I know; pretend to be the character you play."

"Sounds like a good trick."

"Yeah, but clearly it didn't work."

The male shrugged. "I'm sure he'll work it out on his own. Meanwhile, we are up for second rehearsal."

Annamarie wanted to go and speak to Jack, let him know it was alright to get confused and scared but as she turned and walked for the doors, they were thrown open and a teen walked in with a half white, half black appearance, split right down the middle. Even his face was painted in contrast, the left being a wide happy smile while the other a deep frown. It looked like two people had been cut in half and one half of each was put together.

"Sorry to disappoint but shows over!" The stranger shouted as he moved closer with a smirk on one side growing.

Everyone in the room soon began to back off away from him. After so long in Paris, everyone knew any dressed like this was trouble. The gorilla, Adrian's bodyguard, quickly stepped up to protect his charge but the Akuma just smiled, waving his hand over his face. Suddenly the half masks vanished and he showed only a snarling angry one. Then, he threw his hand towards the oversized man, a ball of black and white light colliding with his chest.

For a second, he froze before the gorilla blinked and snarled, running blindly forward until he came to a table covered with food and went on smash his fists against the surface, sending sandwiches and cream cakes flying in all directions.

The Akuma waved his hand over his face again, returning it to normal. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. I'm Masquerade and soon, all any of you will feel…" His face changed again to show a worried fearful one. "Is the mask I want you to wear."

He threw his hand again and the ball collided with Alex who let out a whimper and curled up in a ball while everyone else began to run, trying to get away but Masquerade changed his face so quickly that only a few managed to get away before he caught them.

Fortunately, two of those to escape were the undercover heroes, the ducking into separate empty rooms. Adrian didn't hesitate in getting transformed and running off to try and help people but Annamarie paused. "That Akuma... it… its Jack. I know it. This is all my fault!" She said to her kwami as she leant back against the wall. "I told him to put on a mask… and now… this is what happened! Even when I try and help someone I end up causing trouble."

"Annamarie!" Froufrou snapped. "We don't have time for this. The others will be here soon but you need to evacuate the building!"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right Frou, I can feel sorry for myself later. Right now, we have work to do." She touched her hair clip slightly. "Froufrou, Feathers Up!"

Chat Noir was in the middle of helping people get down the fire escape when Masquerade turned the corner and saw not only him but the civilians around him, grinning as he did.

"Oh? There you are little kitty." Masquerade chuckled, stepping closer. "You know, everyone always called me a scaredy-cat. Let's see how a real cat acts when scared shall we?"

Baton extended, Chat prepared himself for the fight, if only to distract him until the others got away. Then he'd make a run for it. As luck would have it, whatever the Akuma was throwing had a physical form to it and a strike from his stick made them vanished but with the narrow corridors, Chat wasn't able to get close or around him and worse, he was constantly being pushed back into the corner.

As Masquerade came at him, forcing him to retreat, Chat spotted something blue come around the corner, daring a glance to see another masked hero. He gave a short nod which Peacock returned then carefully ran behind the man and swept her leg out under him tripping him over and to the wall, sliding down to the floor. By then, all of the TV personnel had been evacuated and the two heroes were left in the hallway alone while Masquerade stood back up, glaring at the two of them with fury.

"Plan?" Peacock asked, already walking backwards.

"Run." Was all Chat managed before he turned tail and ran down the hallway.

"Good plan." The girl decided, following him, skidding around corners before they came to a fire escape, sprinting on to catch up as Chat rushed past it, jumping though just as her partner slamming the door shut and rammed a chair under it to stop Masquerade from following.

On the other side, they began running down the flights of emergency stairs to the ground floor. "So, any ideas where the Akuma is?"

"In that costume?" She sighed, carrying on down. "Not a clue."

"Best wait for Ladybug to show up then, she'll know for… WATCH OUT!" He gasped, watching as Peacock opened the door just to reveal the two faced being of Masquerade, the lift doors closing behind him.

But he'd already thrown a light at the pair of them and it collided Peacock's chest, making her back off and curl up slightly. Chat quickly slammed the door shut again and slid his baton into the frame, stopping it from opening again even as someone banged on the other side. That dealt with, he turned to Peacock as she clutched her head with her back to him. Concerned, he touched her shoulders and tried to look at her face. "Pea, are you alright? I didn't see what he hit you with! Come on Feathers, talk to me!"

She looked up and he knew at once what had hit her.

Her eyes were wide and jumping from side to side, her mouth open in a straight line and her breath sharp.

Fear.

He cursed in his head but tried to keep his face calm for her sake. "Peacock, I know you're scared right now but it's not real. Come on, I know you, you can fight this."

Her breath was short pants and her whole body was trembling under his touch as she shook her head and backed away to get free of his touch. "I… I can't do this Chat… I can't… how can I… I'm not strong enough… I just... I can't…"

He grabbed her again, forcing her to face him. "Hey, Feathers, look at me." She managed, brow furrowed with worry but the cat smiled his normal smug smile. "Hey, if you don't want to fight then that's fine. But I won't leave you here, alright? So, hold my paw." He gripped her hand tight. "And don't let go. I'll get you out of here, promise. I won't let anything happen to you. Now, Masquerade is right outside this door so we have to get past him first. You got that?"

He made sure to look into her eyes, putting as much confidence as he could into the action, waiting for her as she nodded once and squeezed his hand tighter, her knees practically knocking in fear.

"It's going to be alright Pea, promise." He gave a reassuring squeeze then reached for the baton blocking the door. "We have to run so stay close."

"I'm scared." She whispered behind him.

"Just hold tight." He whispered back, waiting to remove the stick. When he did, the door suddenly opened as Masquerade, who had been ramming against the metal, was sent running into the stairs, allowing the two heroes to slip around behind him and run off down the hallway.

Chat kept tight hold of his comrade's gloved hand as they hurried to get out of the studio, narrowly avoiding several emotional masks as they were thrown at him and Peacock's fearful squeaks were not helping. Finally he managed to get them both outside and ran down the street.

He knew the fastest way to escape was to take to the roofs but with Peacock in such a state, he didn't want to risk it so stuck to the road, pulling her along behind him, looking for somewhere safe. He managed to pull her into a dark alley and inspected her, hoping the mask might have worn off by then.

It clearly hadn't as she curled up at his feet in a ball and began rocking herself back and forth. He glanced at her then up at the road. "Peacock, come on, get up. We can't stay here."

"I… I can't Chat. I don't… I'm too scared."

"Peacock, please, you have to fight this."

"No! I-I don't want to fight! I don't want to fight anymore! I'm not meant to be a hero! I'm a coward Chat! I'm such a coward! I don't deserve to be Peacock! I'm nothing but a fake!" She yelped loudly, even louder when Chat crouched down and covered her mouth, muting her as Masquerade walked past their hiding place.

He was so busy watching the Akuma that he didn't notice Peacock panicking under his grip until she managed to get free of him and got up, running away.

"No!" He cursed and began to run after her. "Peacock!"

"Ah, there you are cat!"

He turned on the spot before spinning his staff to avoid a mask being thrown at him. "Masquerade, you let Peacock go right now!"

"Don't want to." He teased, putting on a face with the tongue sticking out.

Chat wasn't in the mood to play games but in a narrow alleyway, his only choice was to back off and get out to a wider space. He did and glanced around to see if he could spot his friend but there were no signs of the blue hero.

Just as Masquerade emerged after him, a friend _did_ join him. "Well, you're a sight for sore eyes My Lady." He said with a smile. "But we have a problem."

"Anything to do with Peacock hiding behind a trashcan and having what looked like a panic attack?" Ladybug guessed, seriously as she watched Masquerade carefully, yo-yo spinning.

Chat growled slightly. "Yeah. This guy can make you feel anything. Peacock got hit with fear. So whatever you do, don't let him hit you."

"Right."

"I need to go check on Feathers, can you hold him off?"

"Will do."

With a nod, he turned and ran off the way Ladybug had arrived, looked for every trashcan until he found one with the blue hero behind, breathing heavily and holding herself as if she was in pain. "Peacock…" he said softly, walking over and kneeling at her side. "Hey, hey, it's alright."

He'd seen people have panic attacks before but this was new, to see his ally and friend so scared. She didn't look at him, just held herself tight. "I'm useless… I can't… I can't help… I can't do anything right… my whole life… I'm such a fake… I'm…"

"Peacock, please, listen to me; what you're feeling, it isn't real. It's Masquerade." He tried to comfort her but it clearly wasn't working. "Time for plan B then." He mumbled, more to himself. "I need to get you somewhere safe so then Ladybug and I will take care of the Akuma."

"For-forget me Chat… I… I'm not worth your worry."

He held back a sigh and smiled, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "Nonsense. Come on birdy, let's get you off the floor and somewhere safe. Alright?"

After a moment, she nodded and with his help, made her way to her feet. Chat nodding and began to run back the way he had come, wanting to keep her close to where the battle was, looking for anywhere that would keep his friend safe, eventually spotting a glass greenhouse on a roof. "Hold tight Peacock." He said, lifting her up like a princess and jumping into the air.

She screamed as they leapt into the air but Chat landed gracefully on the roof and opened the greenhouse door, putting her down inside it. "Just stay here, alright? I'll come back when the danger's gone."

Whimpering she knelt behind the door and hugged her knees, repeating how useless and scared she was. The cat knew it was a bad idea to leave her but he had to get back to the fight and help Ladybug and here, she was out of Masquerade's reach.

Closing the door, he vaulted down to the street the greenhouse overlooked, where Masquerade and Ladybug were in combat, jumping down as Ladybug backed away from Masquerade. He landed at her side and nodded. "My lady, how you holding out?"

She shook her head slightly and let out an excited gasp, jumping up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Aww, Kitty! You came back for me!" She said in a girly giggle.

Blinking at her strange behaviour, Chat quickly looked at their opponent, just in time to see him wiping a love struck mask away, complete with heart shaped eyes. He looked down at Ladybug as she walked her fingers up his arm with a broad smile before pouting as he looked up at the sky away from her. "Oh, why today?" He whimpered to himself, forcing himself to push her back. "Ladybug, I know you got hit but you have to concentrate."

"Anything for you my darling Kitty." She cooed, stepping back and spinning her yo-yo before her as Masquerade started coming forward.

The cat nodded, glad she could at least still fight. "Right then, let's take this guy…." He stopped and winced when the woman let out a loud sudden high pitched squeal and he turned on the spot to face her. "Ladybug!"

"You look so handsome doing that!" She laughed, hands up to her mouth in joy.

"LB! Concentrate!"

"But you look so good." She giggled, holding his arm and feeling the muscle below it. "Don't you like your bugaboo saying how good you look?"

He blushed brightly at her honey sweet tone and innocent words but then groaned. "Ladybug, please, try and stay on task!" He could not believe he was getting angry at his lady for flirting with him! Normally a dream come true but not right now.

Sinking back, the red spotted hero pouted. "Fine, but let's make it quick." Before Chat could stop her, she threw her yo-yo high into the air. "Lucky Charm!" With Masquerade getting closer, the magic worked to create and a small handheld mirror that fell into her grip. The love struck hero looked into it then smiled, grabbing her partner and admiring their reflection in the glass. "Don't we just look perfect together?"

He groaned at her. "Ladybug, now we only have five minutes!"

Her big blue eyes locked on his and she smiled. "But they will be purr-fect minutes, with you here after all, kitty cat."

"Ok, puns are my thing. Masquerade, stop this now!"

"But I'm just starting to have fun." He laughed, his face twisting into an angry one before collecting it in his hand and throwing it into the air, the orb splitting up and rushing off into the street, colliding with several civilians as they watched the fight or tried to hide from it, Alya naturally being one of them.

As the lights were absorbed, anyone stuck turned with furious glares on their faces and ran towards the heroes, bypassing the Akuma and started lashing out like schoolgirls in a slapping fight. Chat tried to keep them away from him without hurting them but the first one to land a hit on him caused Ladybug to gasp in horror.

"My kitty! Don't worry, I'll save you!" She shouted, jumping up and pushing the civilians away from him before grabbing him by the waist and throwing her yo-yo away and letting it pull them to open space.

Chat turned to her as they landed. "Look, I'm alright Ladybug! Don't worry about me." He groaned, pushing some more Parisians away. "I'm fine! Concentrate on figuring out how to use that… wait, where's the mirror?"

Just as Chat managed to push some more of the angry people away, he noticed a lack of their foe, glancing around quickly to try and find him. To his horror, Masquerade was on the roof, stalking closer to Peacock's hiding place. Even worse, he could just about see her, backing away from the roof edge, hands clutching tightly to something.

"Peacock!" He shouted, trying to get up to her but the civilians held him back, grabbing him in hopes of stopping him. He stole glances between his opponents and the roof but he soon lost sight.

Above, the bird stared at the Akuma as he smirked confidently on both sides of his split face and walked towards her, causing her to back off. "S-stay away from me!"

A purple butterfly mask appeared before he nodded. "No can do little bird. The cat and bug are busy playing below so… I might as well go after the one of you who _won't_ fight back."

"Leave me alone!"

He continued to walk forwards and Peacock backed away until she was against a wall, fear flowing around her mind before looking down into her hands, looking at the lucky charm mirror. By some miracle or luck, it had been thrown into the air and landed outside the greenhouse, teasing her out in time to see her friends in danger. She'd wanted to return it but Masquerade had come after her. Now she was trapped, looking at her own reflection and her fearful face. But… something didn't look right.

Her eyes, hidden behind a pale blue mask.

_As soon as I start dancing, I put on the mask of a dancer. And when I stop, I take it off._

"Wear a mask…" She whispered to herself, feeling Masquerade getting closer, his hand almost on her miraculous. But she closed her eyes and concentrated, pulling on every memory of herself as Peacock and creating a new persona to take on, a mask to wear.

Just as the Akuma reached her, she snapped her eyes open and pushed him away from her, standing back up with a hard glare in her eyes, ready for the next fight.

Masquerade backed off a little. "But… how!"

She didn't say anything. The fear was still there but on top of that, she wore the mask of a hero. Before it could crack, Peacock charged at him, her fan destroying any more balls that were thrown at her, watching Masquerade's panic grow as she got closer and closer. The mask of a hero kept her fighting, going forwards, working her way towards him, ducking under and around attacks before finally she was right next to him then suddenly she closed her fan and swept it upwards, knocking the hat right off his head.

His eyes move to follow it with jaw a gap, the fan barely missing his nose but the miraculous just grabbed hold of the falling hat and tore the thing in half. Her hunch was right as out from the remains came a small black butterfly, already making its way off into the sky.

She quickly ran to the edge of the building and looked down on Chat and Ladybug fighting off the last of the people in the street. "Ladybug! The Akuma!"

Chat turned to his lady who suddenly back holding onto his arm. "Ladybug! Concentrate! Purify it!"

"Aww, I don't want to."

"I… I'll give you a kiss if you do!" He traded, red faced at even the idea.

But Ladybug, in her love struck mode, giggled and quickly grabbed her yo-yo. "No more evil doing for you little Akuma!" She giggled as she captured it and caught her yo-yo, releasing the little white bug, bidding it farewell on its way. She turned to Chat with a smile. "So, now can I have my kiss?"

Chat looked at her and smiled, moving towards her when Peacock landed and got in the middle. "Sure thing Ladybug, but first, can you send this back please?"

"If I must." She sighed, taking the mirror from her hands and throwing it into the air, Chat's jaw dropping at the Peacock's block and mumbled a choice word that earned him an elbow to the gut.

Soon millions of ladybugs swarmed Paris, restoring all those who had been impacted by the attack, before paying attention to Ladybug and Peacock, leaving them both dizzy for a moment before regaining themselves. "Whoa, what happened?" Ladybug asked as she rubbed her head.

Peacock let out a deep breath and rubbed her own forehead. " _That_ was a rough one." She confessed.

"Ladybug, do… do you remember anything?" The leather clad boy asked, hopefully.

His partner thought for a moment then her face went bright red. "No, nothing, not a thing. Sorry. N-not a clue what you're talking about."

Peacock smirked. "Funny, I remember. I got hit with a fear mask." She turned to look at the cat. "Thank you, for looking me by the way Chat."

"Beginning to wish I hadn't." He teased playfully. "I would never leave you Feathers. But I have to ask… how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Beat the fear."

Peacock lowered her gaze to the floor and shrugged. "I didn't. I just… wore the mask of Peacock on top of the fear one. Because in the end, this is who I really am."

He frowned confused at her but then they were distracted by the sound of someone behind them. "What… what happened?" Jack groaned.

The blue hero tried not to twinge as she looked at him before turning to Ladybug and Chat. "You two better look after him, I… I have to get going." She mumbled before opening her fan up and taking to the air.

It wasn't long before Peacock made it back to the TV studio and hid in the bathroom to change back and head to the studio. The Gorilla was trying to get himself cleaned up from the mess the cream cakes had made over his suit while Alex was checking on everyone that had been effected and trying to get the show back on track.

Soon, Ladybug and Chat turned up with Jack who couldn't apologise enough for his actions. As the two heroes left, Jack turned to Annamarie with a sheepish smile. "Guess I took your advice a little too far, hey?" He chuckled nervously. "So… we'll be getting someone else to dance for the jazz section."

She smiled at him and held his shoulder. "Actually, I have an idea."

Alex smiled brightly as the camera's turned to him. "Hello! And welcome back to 'Music of Paris!' Where we see the dance and music styles that are sweeping our city! First up we saw Annamarie Tolrana and Louie Alard with their delightful ballet and classical music, don't forget to see them in action at the theatre in a few week's times. Then we were bobbing along with the hip hop beats of Nino Lahiffe and Adrian Agreste which had everyone dancing. Now we have a special treat; the sweet sound of Jazz music by a Lisa Sampson and dance by Jack Darby _fused_ with the beautiful ballet, once again, of Annamarie Tolrana!"

Ballet dancer, now in a looser black flowing dress smiled at Jack as she held out her hand. "Just dance like there is no one else there. Just you and me, alright Jack?" She gave him a wink.

Taking her hand, he smiled back. "Yeah. Let's go." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so this is my Halloween Chapter for Turning a Feather! Yeah... it’s about as scary as a cup of tea but it is about being scared and beating that fear.
> 
> Anyway; something I’ve been wondering about is doing is ‘Next Time’ teasers at the end of each chapter, little one line hints on what is going to happen in the next chapter. Not sure if you would like that but I thought it was a good idea.
> 
> Also, as an apology for taking so long in publishing this chapter, I’m going to publish the next chapter on Wednesday 2nd November.
> 
> And, quickly I’d like to give a shout out to bluewolf4444 who has been helping me out with the chapters. Seriously, I can make up Akuma’s easy but thinking of the lucky charms?! My hat goes off to the ones who do it for a living!
> 
> Don't forget to review! Seriously, I need them.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Masks We Wear

#  Chapter 13 - The Masks We Wear – Published

“You know, you will look super cute in that top.” Alya chuckled as she and Marinette walked home, arms full of bags from their shopping trip. “You should totally wear it to school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Marinette chuckled. “If you wear that skirt.”

“Deal.” The two best friends laughed loudly together as they went down the street before it suddenly stopped, looking ahead to see the familiar shape of their classmate before them.

Annamarie walking down the road, alone, in her normal green dress and white jacket, head down but soon she caught sight of the others before her. They stood, staring at each other, the two teenagers fully prepared for whatever insults or tease the ballerina was going to give them but, to their amazement, she turned and crossed the road without a word, not even looking back at them as she continued the way she’d been going on the other side of the road.

Marinette and Alya watched her until she was out of sight then looked at each other. “What was that about?”

Alya shrugged. “Maybe she ran out of insults?” They laughed at the idea and carried on down the road, completely forgetting what had happened.

Meanwhile, around the corner, Annamarie leant on the wall and sighed, hand on her pounding heart. She didn’t expect to see anyone she knew today, she’d just gone out to get some fresh air and some grapes for Froufrou. But to see Alya and Marinette, laughing, joking and having fun as they clearly came back from a girl’s day out… it had startled her. And between facing them and walking away, she chose to walk away, her mind filled with only one thought.

_Why can’t I have that?_

She hated to admit it but the battle against Masquerade had shaken her; having to fight under a mask of fear, it had made her question how often she was wearing her own masks. She told Jack she only did it to get over stage fright, to get the task at hand done but in truth, she was wearing them more and more. She was hiding behind the mask of a bully, of a cold hearted girl who didn’t care who she hurt.

Deep down she knew that wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t a bully; she hated bullies, she had been their victim for so long… and each time she saw her main victim, Marinette, it was… unsettling her even more. To a point where just looking at the dark haired girl made her feel physically sick.

After a few seconds of leaning on the wall, she sighed and went back to walking, heading home and going up to her room where she pulled out some of her expensive writing paper, beginning to write a letter back to her friend back in England. She sat for about half an hour, putting down what she’d done in school and ballet, about her fight with Masquerade but the whole thing only filled half a page.

She didn’t want to send half a letter so sat back, tapping her pen against her lower lip. “I don’t know what else I can tell her…” She said aloud to her kwami.

The blue bird shrugged. “Well then, just talk about me then. That should fill the rest of your letter. And I know Sophia wants to hear all about me.”

She smiled at her pride. “Alright… how about… _Froufrou is being her normal irritating little self._ How does that sound?”

Froufrou looked up and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“It was a joke Frou.” The dancer chuckled as she turned to look at her partner.

“No I mean ‘ _being her normal self_ ’?” The bird flew over to her and hovered in her view. “Do you think I’m a girl?”

Annamarie blinked a few times, taking in what she’d just been told, her face going cold as the blood drained out of it. “Wait… you… your… you’re a **_boy_**!”

The bird huffed and spread out the three tail feathers on her… _HIS_ back. “Do you really think that with these beautiful feathers of mine I’d be a boring _female?”_ He scoffed and turned his head away. “Well, for your information, those gorgeous feathers of mine mean I’m a _male_.”

Peacock sat still for a moment, computing the information. “Wait… so… I’ve been turning… into a BOY! All this time! And you never told me!”

“I thought you knew.” The kwami said with an amused chuckle. “I mean its common knowledge.”

“Clearly not since I had no idea.” She sighed then turned back to her letter. “Guess I know what to write about now.”

Having finished her letter, Annamarie went on to her homework, getting it done as quickly as she could before doing a few simple balancing ballet exercises against her own bars and mirrors, going through the movements of her performance, ensuring she knew the routine perfectly. Just as she finished up, she heard her phone ring with an alarm and looked at the time. “Uh oh!” She snapped, running over to the window. “Frou, time to go or I’ll be late for patrol.”

The bird groaned from his pillow. “Alright. If I have to.” He stretched out slightly. “You need to be careful Annamarie, you’re burning the candle at both ends with school, ballet and being a hero.”

“Don’t worry about me.” She grinned at his concern. “I’ll be fine. Come on. Froufrou, Feathers Up!”

Less than ten minutes later, Annamarie was sat on the predefined roof, fortunate that she was the first to arrive and, as she waited, she looked down at her fan, unable to take her eyes the colours and patterns and what they meant, the colourful eyes and details.

“What you staring at Feathers?”

She looked up at the call and smirked at Chat as he walked over. “Hello Fur Ball.”

“Ooh, fur ball? That’s a new one. But what are you staring at?”

Her head tipped slightly to the side. “Did you know that a colourful peacock is actually male?”

Chat paused for a moment then laughed. “Yep. I knew.”

“I didn’t. Found out today. I feel so stupid for not realising it before.” She closed her fan with a snap. “It’s embarrassing that all this time I’ve been turning into a boy peacock!”

“Well, if it makes any difference, I think you look great, even if you are a boy.”

She punched him sharply on the arm with a glare before looking around. “Where’s Ladybug when I need her?”

Chat also looked. “Doesn’t look like she’s joining us. Or she’ll catch us up later. But we best head off now if we are going to finish our _purr_ -trol in time.”

She jumped off her perch with a careful smile, hand on her hip and sighed. “Ah, poor kitty. No lady to annoy with his puns tonight.” Peacock said, already running off to the next roof, jumping over and landing perfectly, Chat following.

“I will have you know my lady loves my puns.”

“Nope, she doesn’t.” Peacock stated, running to the next roof and looking around, checking for trouble.

Chat froze at her side, staring at her. “Wait… does she… talk to you about me?”

Peacock smiled and looked at him. “Of course. We’re girls. Gossiping about boys is what we do best.”

The hero peered closer to her. “So… what does she say about me?”

She grinned then reached out and pushed him back by the nose in a very Ladybug style. “That is between me and Ladybug.” She said then ran off over the roof.

“But she does talk about me?”

The brunette turned to look at him, stopping on a roof and smiled. “Sometimes.”

He gave her a goofy smile. “Good?”

“Careful Chat, you know what curiosity did to the cat.” She laughed, heading onwards before pausing by a park. “But, Chat, can I ask… why are you so attracted to Ladybug?”

“What’s not to be attracted to?” The boy laughed, sitting on the side as they watched the people below. “She’s brave… strong, confidence… a great leader… quick thinking yet level headed and… and…” He paused and sighed dreamingly. “And has the most adorable freckles and…”

“Beautiful?”

“Gorgeous! I mean… she’s just…” He leant back and sighed up to the stars. “The whole thing. She is just… perfect.”

Peacock looked over at him then sighed. “What if… she isn’t that kind of person behind the mask?”

“What do you mean?”

She ran off towards the next roof. “If she wasn’t brave or strong or… even beautiful behind the mask, would you still love her?”

The black cat frowned as he thought about it, following her. “I… I guess so.”

He was stopped when someone held his forearm, looking over into her golden eyes as she frowned at him. “There’s no guessing when it comes to love. It’s yes or no.”

Behind the mask, Adrian sighed. “Then yes. I would love her. But I don’t think my lady will be that different.”

She let him go and backed off a little. “You might be surprised Chat. A mask can change everything about a person if worn correctly.”

“You said something like that before, when we fought Masquerade. You were clearly speaking more… personally than you let on.” He walked over to the next gap in the roofs, both of them knowing it was too far, even for them, to jump so the cat pulled out his staff and extended to give them a tightrope to walk across.

Peacock nodded as she crossed behind him. “Yes, I do. Away from being a hero… I realised recently that I… I wear so many masks that… I don’t even know who the real me is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I…” She thought about her statement. “It’s like being in a show; I think about how my character would act and then I put on the mask and act like them. I’ve being doing it for so long… even before I came to Paris… that I don’t even know what myself is anymore. I’m just a long list of… characters I’ve played.”

Chat couldn’t help but notice the tone of her voice as she spoke. She sounded sad so he stepped over and held her shoulder. “Feathers…”

She turned and gave him an honest smile. “But when I’m Peacock… when I’m here, like this, with you and Ladybug… it feels like I can be the real me. And slowly working… by being Peacock… I can work out who the real me is… the ‘me’ behind _this_ mask.” She gestured to her face as she spoke. “It’s not easy, working out who you am… but at the same time I know right now I am Peacock and yet, this is as closest I’ve gotten so far.”

“I know how you feel.”

“You do?”

“Being Chat Noir gives me a sense of… freedom and…”

“Independence?” She said with a knowing smile.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

The smile vanished and she turned her back on him, walking to the next roof. “Well, it is your symbolism.”

“Sorry?”

She rolled her eyes. “A black cat is a sign of bad luck but a cat of any kind means independence. Like a ladybug means good luck and love while a peacock means confidence. It’s simple.”

“This coming from the girl who didn’t know a blue peacock is a boy?”

Her eyes narrowed on him like a glare and for a moment Chat found himself wondering who was behind that mask. What was Peacock like without her mask? Did he know her? Who was she really? He wanted to know her and Ladybug more, to know who his comrades were.

Peacock on the other hand had no wish to find out who her partners were, her only wish was to protect and stay at their sides, to be with them. Froufrou had once told her that the Ladybug and Black Cat were the most powerful of the miraculous and as a ‘second’ it was her role to keep them safe, a role she took to heart.

After a bit, Chat looked away from her and back to the city. “Come on, don’t want to stay up all night.”

The two of them continued on their uneventful patrol around the city before coming back to their starting point. After a few more teasing words, they parted, going off towards their own homes. Peacock checked to make sure she wasn’t being watched then landed on the roof of her home and slid carefully down to her window, slipping inside. “Feathers down.” Instantly, her transformation reverted the peacock into Annamarie and she caught her exhausted kwami.

Froufrou stared at her as he was placed on his pillow on the window with some grapes. “Well, that was a long night.”

“Yeah, and I have rehearsal tomorrow.” She yawned, collapsing into bed. “Night Frou.”

“Told you you’d end up wearing yourself out.” He sighed, tucking into his food. Half way into his grape, he looked over to his charge and smiled as she slept, fully dressed and on top of the covers. Slowly he flew over to her and brushed his hand over her hair then leant over and kissed her forehead. “Night Annamarie.”

 _“I’m just a long list of… characters I’ve played.”_ Annamarie thought over her own words, over and over as she sat in class, watching the water drip slowly down the windows. Her masks were getting harder to differentiate, to define who was who and who she was.

She ran a hand back in her hair and sighed to herself. Her mind was far from the maths class she was meant to be in, thinking about the last few months since she came to France. She glanced down at her bag where Froufrou was hiding, probably with a packet of grapes.

Self-esteem.

Froufrou had told her long ago that as a kwami it was his role to help her, to improve her self-esteem and confidence. She almost laughed. What self-esteem? She was lower now than she had ever been back in England. She was just better at hiding it.

She longed for the moment she could shed the mask of Annamarie and put on the one of Peacock, but also knew she never should be in such a position. She never should have been ashamed of herself and hate herself. But at least, unlike when she was back in England, she had an escape. Or she would have thrown herself into the river.

Her eyes closed, remembering that night and felt her heart panic.

“Annamarie, are you listening?”

“Sorry.” She said, jumping from her memories in England and answered the teacher in her old language.

The teacher frowned at her and sighed. “Annamarie, please, concentrate on the class at hand.”

“Yes madam.” She sighed, not having any intention of paying attention. She glanced at Chloe and Sabrina beside her and felt her heart shift slightly. Her gaze went up over the class and lingered slightly on Marinette. Something shifted in her as she looked at the designer but she couldn’t define what.

It felt like… anger, jealous… that girl had everything she could ever want! She was happy and… people cared about her and… she hated her for it! She hated that she had nothing like that. Chloe… Chloe was a self-centred child who only wanted Annamarie around because she was _famous_ , a fact that she still scoffed at, she wasn’t famous; she was just a good dancer and known for it. But she wasn’t famous, not like Adrian, who she was also learning to hate.

When the class finally ended, she packed up her belongings, still feeling her fury burning inside her. Was she angry at them or at herself?

Grunting to herself, she headed for the door and out into the hallway before finding herself bumping into the very person responsible for her internal pain and torment. For a second, as they looked at each other, and her façade vanished but then she frowned and gave her a sharp shove, forcing her backwards until she tripped and ended up tangled up in a heap on the floor. “Watch where you’re going miss china!” She shouted, standing over the other girl. “Honestly! You’d think you’d know better! I mean, why don’t you just crawl back into whatever overcrowded sweat shop you came out of and leave the rest of us alone.” She huffed then set her shoulders back and walked away, not caring if she did kick the other.

Everyone watched in amazement but Chloe broke out of her amazement first and ran after her. “Hey… don’t you think that was… maybe a little too far?”

“Who asked you?” She snapped before breaking out into a run as the rain soon swept over her and soaked her skin. She ran as far as she could handle, meaning she was almost on the other side of the city by the time she stopped, her clothes soaked but she felt at least a little better in her distance.

Finally she stopped and slid down a wall, hugging her knees and breaking down into tears. “What am I doing to myself Frou?” She asked as the bird came out. “Wha… what am I becoming?” She sniffed then broke down even more.

The storm had passed by nightfall but, as Peacock was finding, the rain was not making it easy to patrol. She spent most of her time in the air but as she came in to land, she found herself gasping when her footing slipping on the wet surface, the momentum carrying her forward even as the glider collapsed into her fan. “Ahhh!” She screamed looking over the edge of the building, her arms swinging to keep her balance.

Something suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her back from the verge causing her to land on the roof safety with a bump, the yo-yo string retreating. Standing carefully, she rubbed her back and looked at Ladybug. “Thanks.” She mumbled.

Her saviour smiled as she went to her side and placed the yo-yo away. “What are friends for? But you should always be careful up here after a storm.”

Looking at her fan, Royal Peacock smiled shyly. “Yeah, I noticed. Guess I still have a lot to learn.”

“Hey, even I’m still learning Pea.” Her friend said with a similar smile as the two of them looked at each other then over Paris, Ladybug sitting on a chimney stack while Peacock stood, looking around.

“No Chat?” She finally asked.

Ladybug shook her head. “He doesn’t tend to come out when it’s been raining. I think it’s the cat side of him. And he never comes on a Thursday anyway, but no matter what he always comes on a Monday but if he comes on Wednesday, he won’t turn up on a Friday. Tuesdays and weekends are anyone’s guess but most of the time he comes on a Saturday.”

Peacock blinked in amazement. “That’s quite a pattern.”

“He’s predictable. But if there is an attack then he turns up… _most_ of the time but I can always depend on him to have my back. As I have his… and yours.”

The blue masked woman blushed and looked away, scratching the back of her head. “I’ve got your back too Ladybug.”

The other grinned then looked at the fan in her hands. “Can I try it?” She asked, pointing at the device.

Peacock looked down and blinked. “Really?”

“Well, honestly I’ve wanted to for months.” She confessed. “I mean, it’s a good idea for us to know how to use each other’s weapons, just in case we get separated from them.” She smiled and put a hand to her mouth in a stage whisper. “In case you didn’t notice, Chat often drops his. So, who knows when we will need to use them.” Carefully she held out her yo-yo and shrugged. “I doubt you will be able to do something like Lucky Charm but worth a try right?”

Shrugging, the two traded items and Peacock slipped her finger into the black loop, letting the yo-yo roll down and back into her grip like a toy while Ladybug spread the fan out.

“So… how does this work?”

“There is a button on the base. That jewel?”

“Oh yeah…” Ladybug gasped as she pressed the control and the blue fan almost tripled in size, revealing two small handles on the underside and one at the back as a foot rest. “So… now what?”

Still rolling the yo-yo in and out of her grip, Royal Peacock shrugged. “Just jump. I think some kind of magic makes it always take off. But be careful it…”

“AHHHHHH!” Ladybug screamed as she was thrown into the air and was soon soaring high above the buildings.

“Fast.” The woman finished as she watched her swoop up and down and did a triple loop in the air, screaming the whole way until she finally crash landed on a roof across from them, staggering to keep her grip. After a moment she waved to prove she was alright and beckoned her over.

Looking at the yo-yo, Royal Peacock swung the device into the distance, tested the connection on a nearby building then jumped down, swinging directly to the other roof where Ladybug was and landed gracefully on the roof. She grinned at the yo-yo. “Whoa! Yours is so much better than mine!”

Ladybug chuckled as they stood together on the new roof and traded back. “True, but I can only go where I have something to hold onto. You can go anywhere you want.”

The two chuckled and a comfortable silence fell in the gap between the two heroes before Peacock sighed. “Hey, Ladybug, do… do you and Chat ever talk about your other sides?”

“Not really. It’s not safe. And it’s kinda hard with him flirting with me all the time and being a guy. Why?”

She waved her hand casually in the air. “No reason. I’m just having some trouble with mine. Don’t really have anyone to talk to about it.”

Ladybug nodded. “I know how hard it is to balance both lives. But… as long as you keep your details vague… I don’t see any reason why we can’t talk about it.” She gave her a playful nudge. “Girl to girl?”

They gave each other a smile before the bird sighed and her shoulders sank. “You know I haven’t always lived in Paris right? I told you before.” She thought about it then lifted her head. “Been about 6 months now.”

“Yeah but that’s not much of a clue. Lots of people move here.”

“Yeah well… my other side knows this girl who… is really smart and kind and she’s the kind of person everyone would want to be friends with. I mean talented, brave, kind… everything!”

Ladybug quirked a brow. “Ahaa?” She questioned.

“But I’ve made friends with perhaps the only person who hates her. They are after the same guy I think but… but because of that I’ve… begun being mean to her. Calling her names… insulting her, pulling pranks and… all this just to make this… friend of mine happy.”

“Some friend.”

“I hate myself for it.” Peacock continued. “I hate myself so much for hurting this other girl. She’s done nothing against me and it’s so _painful_ to push her around just to keep this other girl my friend. I go home every day and find myself wanting to cry because of what I’m doing. And yet every day I keep repeating myself! Over and over! I HATE IT!” She wiped her eyes suddenly, not realising she was crying. “I hate myself! I mean, how… how can I call myself a hero when the other side of me hurts someone so much?! How can I stand here and protect people when I can’t even protect others from me! How can I be the Peacock if I… I…” She sniffed and lowered her head, hands shaking at her sides. “I hate how it makes me feel.”

Ladybug placed a firm yet comforting hand on her shoulder. “Peacock…”

“Sorry.” She whispered. “I… didn’t mean to break down. It’s just so hard.”

The red hero thought for a moment then pulled her into her shoulder, hugging her tight. “It’s alright. You can cry.”

Not needing to be told twice, Peacock grabbed her tight and sobbed into her shoulder, letting it all out for a few minutes. When she finally stopped, Ladybug pushed her away a little. “I have to ask… why do you stay friends with this other person if to keep her happy… you end up hurting yourself?”

“I… I was bullied before I came here.” She confessed in a low voice, head into her neck. “I had no friends… and was picked on for… who I was. I’d come home almost every day in tears from what they would say and do… bruises from when they would push me over… nightmares over the names they would call me… and… I was alone with no one to talk to about it.”

“What about your family?”

“They had other things to worry about. So… when I moved… I was worried it would happen again so I latched onto the first person to show any interest in me. But by the time I saw what kind of person they really were, it was too late. The damage was done and no one else wanted to be near me… let alone be my friend.” She sighed deeply. “I can’t go back to being alone… so I carry on. And sometimes it feels like the only time I can be myself is when I transform.”

Ladybug stared at her friend in amazement as she held her shoulder, the pair parting slightly. “I… I’m sorry you are going through this Peacock.”

“I feel better for getting it off my chest.” She confessed, smiling at the Bug as she wiped her eyes. “It felt like I was going to tear myself apart if I didn’t say something.”

“Well, you know you can always talk to me.” She said with a charming smile.

Holding the arm on her shoulder, Peacock nodded. “Thank you Ladybug. I’m glad I have a real friend like you. Just a shame we can’t stay like this forever.”

The two smiled at each other before Ladybug turned suddenly. “Race you to the tower!” She laughed already running for the edge. Peacock laughed then ran after her friend but her laugh was forced and her mind was still rolling with what she’d realised.

_I hate being the bully. But… it too late to change._


	14. Chapter 14 - Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who Are You?

Marinette was having a bad day, the worst she’d had in a very long time. First, she’d found out that Peacock, her dear friend, was internally tearing herself up over her double life. Second a very expensive fabric she’d ordered had been damaged in transit and it was going to be at least a month before a replacement could be sent. Third, at school, she’d tripped over her own bag and banged her head on the step, leading to a massive headache and flushing embracement. Not to mention Chloe and Annamarie teasing her clumsiness.

And worse of all, she had then been assigned to work on a project with Chloe _and_ Annamarie.

She tried not to groan as she made her way up to the school library during her lunch, deciding to get a head start on the project since the last time she worked with Chloe, she’d pulled the blonde’s share of the work as well as her own. And she had a feeling Annamarie would be the same, if not worse.

Collecting the books she needed, apart from one that was already checked out, she headed for somewhere to sit and work. Her bad day just kept getting worse as the only spare seat was at the table where a brunette in a green dress was sat, her eyes darting between a book and a pad of paper as she wrote down notes.

Deciding just to bite the bullet, Marinette walked over and sat down across from her, not missing the quick glance the other gave her before going back to her work. Opening her own book, the dark haired girl took her notes, just waiting for the sarcastic or hypocritical comment she knew was on its way.

But not a word was said, the two working in silence for over ten minutes before Annamarie tore a piece of paper off her notes, stuck it on a page and closed the book before lifting it towards her. “Chapter 12.” She said, not making eye contact. “Talks about the contrast of styles. Best I’ve found.”

In shock, Marinette took the book and opened the page on the book mark and nodded. “Umm… thanks?” She was unable to keep her surprise out of her voice.

The other returned the nod and kept her eyes on her books, making notes. Twice more she tagged a page and slid them across the table but never once said a word. Just before the end of lunch, Chloe walked in and gagged loudly at them. “Ga! Annamarie, how can you stand being at the same table as Maritrash here?”

Annamarie looked up with a smirk and closed her book loudly, collecting her notes up. “Easy, just pretend she’s an unimportant nobody with no future or purpose in life.” She stood up and slid her jacket back on. “It’s not hard, since she already is.”

Chloe laughed as Marinette frowned at the pair, but not in frustration as would be expected. Flicking her hair back, Chloe nodded. “That’s so true Annamarie.”

With a smile, the dancer put her work away and walked over. “Come on, we should get to class. Oh and I’ve already done a lot of your work for the project Chloe, we can talk about finishing it at your place tonight.”

“But…” Chloe spluttered, not liking the idea of doing her own work. “Why don’t we just get Marinette to do it?”

Annamarie’s face flickered before she put a smile back on. “Well, you want to _pass_ don’t you? Come on.” She said, pulling her away.

Marinette felt her jaw drop a little as the two walked away, a seed of confusion in her mind as she collecting her own things and went off to class. For the rest of the day, she couldn’t help but glance questioningly at Annamarie, watching her carefully. Something wasn’t right and she wanted to know what.

Her questions were still unanswered at the end of the day when she headed home, distracted by the other teen and her behaviour in the library. It was… as if she had protected her from having to do Chloe’s work. But… that couldn’t be. Could it?

As she began to cross the road, towards the bakery, something loud rushed around the street corner with Marinette still in the middle of the road and for a moment, she feared her day was about to get even worse as she was knocked off her feet. But not by the car, that continued onwards without stopping, but by a black clad boy with cat ears and a dashing smug smile on his lips.

“Careful Princess.” He said as he set her right on her feet. “Or you’ll be more _pancake_ than princess.”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette pushed herself away from him but nodded kindly. “Thanks for the save.”

“Just glad I was passing when I did. Could have been ugly otherwise.” He said honestly, walking after her as she headed across the road, a little more carefully this time. “But, I got to ask, you look distracted. Is something the matter?”

Deciding not to lead him to her house, Marinette stopped in the park just ahead and brushed some hair over her ears. “It’s complicated.”

“I like complicated.”

She turned and looked at him as he sat on the back of a park bench and feet on the seat. “Ok, who are you and what have you done with Chat Noir?”

“What? Now why would you say that Purr-incess?”

“Because you actually sounded sincere there.”

He laughed loudly at her before giving her a wink. “Well, whatever is on your mind is clearly bothering you. Maybe I can help.”

“Doubt it. But… it might help me to talk about it.” She confessed, sitting on the same bench but keeping a good gap between them, gazing up at the sky. “You see, there is this girl in my class, Annamarie Tolrana. And she’s been bullying me for… months now.”

Adrian frowned as he slid off the back of the bench and onto the seat. “I know all about Annamarie. So, what’s she done now?”

“That’s the thing!” His hidden partner said turning to look at him some more. “Today, I was told we have to work together on a project so I went to the library to start work… and we ended up sat on the same table and… she never said a word to me! And when she did speak, it was to pass me a book I needed. Even had marked the _page_ I needed. So… why… if she hates me so much…” She frowned. “Then why… help me?”

“That is odd.” Chat confessed. Adrian had missed school today, due to a photo-shoot and as soon as he got free he’d transformed for a well needed escape. Luckily he’d seen Marinette and was going to say ‘Hi’ when the car almost knocked her over. But now, he was more interested in the school day he’d missed while also wondering who he’d been paired with for the project.

Marinette sighed and looked back at the sky. “And it gets odder.”

“How?”

“Well… it turns out she was doing the work for the other girl in our group, Chloe? I’m sure you’ve met her.”

“Too many times.”

“Well, the last time I was in her group, she made me do all the work and I was expecting it again. But then Annamarie turns around and says she’s done most of Chloe’s work for her! I mean, they could both easily make me do it all. But… I just don’t understand why.”

Chat frowned and leant forward, thinking. “Nor do I. I mean, I’ve heard all about the pranks and names and things Annamarie has done.”

“I know how bad she can be more than you.” Marinette laughed dryly. “I’m the one she _does_ them to. But now I can’t help but think there is… something else going on. I mean, Annamarie is… well she’s strange. I didn’t see it before but she can be such a bully whenever there are others around and yet… it’s like she’s… scared of something.”

“Scared?” The cat picked up on.

“I don’t know what of but… yes. Scared is the only word I can think of. She has these little… flickers.” She waved her hand sharply in the air to demonstrate her point. “They are so fast I don’t think she even knows she’s doing it. But her smile vanishes and she _sinks_. Like… the weight of the world is on her. I only started seeing them today but thinking about it, they have been happening a lot, when she thinks no one else can see her. It just doesn’t make sense to me. And I don’t even know why _I_ care.”

“That’s because you’re that kind of person, Marinette.” The hero said calmly beside her, his voice gentle. “You can’t help but care about the people around you. Even people who don’t care about you back. That’s what makes you so… wonderful.”

An odd unexpected blush covered her cheeks and she looked away. “Maybe.”

“I mean it, Marinette.” He said, leaning towards her slightly. “You’re an amazing girl. Don’t ever change.” He stared at her for a bit then pulled away. “But maybe you’re right about Annamarie. I spoke to her once and I remember… she said she’s not what everyone thought she was.”

“Then… what is she?”

“I don’t know.” He confessed, looking at the sky. “Maybe she doesn’t either.”

While his conversation with Marinette had been short, it had also been oddly meaningful and he had been surprised by how she showed Chat how honest and caring she could be. He already knew she could be, as class rep and as a person she’d shown it but to care about someone she should hate was a pleasing surprising.

It made him smile to think she might care about Adrian in the same way.

So, out of her concern and his own, he decided to stop by the dancer’s home that night, perching on the lamppost right outside her window and looking in. The room was dark and the wind was making the curtains flutter from the open window, not a sound or movement coming from within.

Guessing she was out at Chloe’s, he sighed. He’d hoped to talk to her before school, maybe find out what was wrong with her.

“Hey! Fur ball!”

Jumping at the call, he lost his balance on the post and fell to the ground below, landing flat on his back with a groan. He looked up to see who had called him just as Royal Peacock landed beside him with a frown on her face. “Oh, hey Feathers. What can I do for you?” He chuckled, standing up and brushing himself down.

“Well you can _start_ by telling me why you are lurking around outside this apartment.” She said, barely holding back an angry snap from her voice.

“Lurking?” He repeated, hurt in his gaze. “I’m not lurking anywhere.”

“Really?” She said, folding her arms and glaring at him. “Then why are you here?”

“Well, I take it you know whose house this is?”

“Annamarie Tolrana’s. Why? What’s that got to do with it?”

“I was hoping to speak with her.”

Peacock took a moment to think then tipped her head to the side a little. “Why?”

“A friend of mine, one of her classmates, is worried about her.” He confessed. “And to be honest, so am I.”

She blinked, arms dropping to her sides. “Why?”

Chat looked up at the building behind him. “She’s been acting strange.”

“Have I-you any idea why?” Peacock said quickly to cover her mistake.

“No.” Chat sighed, having missed her slip up. “Just… I don’t know… she hasn’t been herself recently.”

“Maybe she’s got something on her mind.” The teen suggested with a shrug. “She’s a teenager after all.”

“Maybe. But I just wanted to talk to her myself, maybe find out what’s going on. And… maybe help.”

Peacock felt something snap inside her and she became remarkably angry all of a sudden. “Well, she’s clearly not here so why don’t you quit hanging around like some leather clad pervert.” She barked at him, moving towards him and giving him a shove in the other direction. “Go on! Scat cat before I summon up some dogs for you to play with!” She even opened her fan in preparation.

Catching on that she was clearly in a bad mood, Chat frowned at her. “Hey, Peacock, are _you_ alright? Is something wron…”

“I’m FINE!” She shouted before pressing the button on her fan and flying off, too fast for a very confused Chat to follow her.

The bird flew away from her home and back to one of her favourite perches on the Eifel Tower, hiding in the shadows of the beams, curling up on herself and trying not to cry.

Was it that obvious? Were her classmates really… pitying her? Seeing how conflicted she was?

She’d transformed to escape Annamarie’s problems but now they found her even when she was Peacock.


	15. Chapter 15 - Turning a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turning Point

The smell of chlorine and the hum of the massive cooling system just made the class even more excited as the climbed out off the bus. They all giggled as they stared at the large building ahead of them.

“Hey!” Alya said as she pulled her bag over her shoulder, turning to Marinette. “You looking forward to this?”

“Not really.” Marinette confessed. “I’m not a very good swimmer.”

Alya laughed and leant closer to the other. “Yeah, but how often do you get to see Adrian without a shirt on?”

The dark haired girl blushed furiously at the idea. Who knew how she would react when she actually _saw_ it. _Cross that bridge when I get to it._ She decided as the class formed a line and they headed inside the pool where they separated to male and female changing room. Everyone soon changed into their swim suits and were putting their things away, Marinette stepped out of the changing room with her hair in her normal pigtails and wearing a white one piece swimsuit of her own creation with little red beads across the middle.

As she stepped out and placed her normal clothes down, she noticed Chloe and Annamarie across from her and Chloe soon laughed. “Oh dear Marinette! What _are_ you wearing?”

Ignoring her, Marinette just shrugged. “Just something I made.”

“Poor Marinette.” Chloe chuckled. “Can’t afford to buy a swim suit so she made one!” The blonde nudged her friend. “She really is ‘poor’ Marinette!”

Annamarie sighed softly. “Good one.”

Marinette tried not to roll her eyes as she put her stuff away, careful not to hurt Tikki in the process. “Yeah well at least I have the skills to make something. I bet you two couldn’t make something with your own hands if you tried.”

The spoiled mayor’s daughter looked furious at her but the teacher popped her head in on the group. “Come along girls!”

The girls soon walked out with Chloe and Annamarie towards the back yet as they left the changing room, a bulky lifeguard suddenly held up his hand. “Sorry miss but pool rules, no jewellery in the pool.”

Marinette blinked before realising that he was talking about her earrings, covering her lower ears. “Do… do I have to? They… they’re family heirlooms.”

The guard nodded. “Sorry but either you take them off or you don’t go in the pool.”

Biting her lip, Marinette suddenly spotted Alya in the pool as she pointed over to the side where Adrian was climbing in and her face went so red it created a new colour. She zipped back into the changing room and went to her bag where Tikki was hiding. “Tikki, if I take the earrings off, will you be alright?”

The little kwami grinned and nodded. “Of course Marinette, as long as it’s not for too long.”

“But what if Ladybug is needed?”

“Then you will know where to find me. Go and have some fun!”

Grateful, Marinette removed the two black studs from her ears and placed them where Tikki had been hiding. She soon went back to the pool and was scolded for running but once she slipped into the water, it was washed away. Alya, a much stronger swimmer than Marinette, came over to her side and smiled. “So? What’s the plan?”

“What?”

“To get Adrian’s attention of course!” She chuckled. “We need to save him from Chloe if nothing else!”

The mayor’s daughter was currently sat on the edge of the pool in a yellow two piece swim suit covered in frills, bone dry beside Adrian who was being polite and listening to her chatter but from the way his eyes drifted over to Nino and his friends as they played water volley ball across from him, it was clear he didn’t want to stand around and talk for the whole time of this special trip.

After a moment, Alya smiled before quickly climbing out of the pool, slowly walking around the edge until she was just behind Chloe before charging forward and cannonballing into the water right next to the blonde, the back wash flying right up over the girl who screamed in disgust.

A whistle from the life guard broke her screams up and Alya was slowly beckoned out of the pool for a warning word but from the smile on her face, it was clear she didn’t care, her work was done as Chloe stood and tried to brush the water away.

Adrian meanwhile quickly made his escape and swam to the volleyball, Nino calling Marinette over to join them. The mayor’s daughter stared daggers at the group before stomping her feet and heading for the changing room, mumbling to herself as she passed Annamarie who had been going back and forth under the water the whole time. She frowned to herself then climbed out, following her friend. “Chloe? What are you up to? I know you want Adrian’s attention but sulking in here is not…. what are you doing?!”

Chloe was stood in front of a bag, rummaging inside before pulling out two small items with a smile. “Got them!”

Annamarie hurried over. “Those are Marinette’s!” She hissed. “Put them back!”

“After that little stunt?” Chloe scoffed, squeezing her hand tight around the jewellery. “I don’t think so.”

“Alya was the one to splash you.” She stated before reaching out to try and snatch the jewels away. “So why take Marinette’s earrings?”

“You heard her. These are heirlooms. And they will look amazing in my jewellery box.”

The brunette glared at her. “Chloe, teasing and pranks is one thing but full out theft is too far! So put them back or I will tell the teacher.”

Sensing the reality of her words, Chloe glared at her. “You tell anyone, then I will tell everyone your little secret.”

Eyes wide, Annamarie stepped forward. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh I would.” Chloe smirked. “And you wouldn’t want everyone learning the _real_ reason you came to France now, would you?”

Annamarie was about to speak but instead took the moment to snatch the earrings from her open hand and back away just as the door opened and Madam Bustier stepped in. “Girls, what are you two doing in here?”

The two looked at each other before Chloe shrugged casually. “Annamarie was just helping me dry off after that nasty Alya splashed me. I was soaking wet! I hope she was suitably punished.”

“Chloe, it’s a _swimming_ pool.” The teacher sighed. “You are meant to swim.”

“And ruin my outfit?” She huffed back, grabbing a towel. “Do you have any idea how much this cost?”

Annamarie sighed as she held her hand behind her back. With the teacher watching she couldn’t risk returning to Marinette’s bag, not when hers was on the other side of the room. So she stepped to her own belongings and popped them inside with her own hairclip before hurrying back to the water.

Had she looked back, she might have noticed a slight glow from the two but it soon stopped and she was out of sight.

Back in the pool, Annamarie kept a wide berth from Chloe and Sabrina who were sat on the edge once more, posing and trying to get Adrian back while Marinette was on the other side, playing with her friends so she kept a wide berth from them as well. In the end she decided to go into the deep side, away from everyone and spend the remaining time just lapping the water alone, speaking to no one as she tried to settle on a way out of her situation.

When the whistle blew and told them to get out, it took everything in her power not to speak out to Marinette as she began to panic over her missing heirlooms. Chloe made a comment about seeing someone in the room when she came to dry off and when asked if she had seen anything, Annamarie nodded. The look of horror on Marinette’s face tore at her conscious as she and the teacher went off to look at the CCTV.

Eventually they returned, the look of distraught showing it had been unsuccessful, and the group climbed onto the bus. Chloe spared a moment as they queued to grab Annamarie and whisper in her ear. “You’re in this more than I am now. Tell anyone and they will all get a text with a link to this.”

She showed her phone, a British news website with a family image next to an image of a man being escorted into court. The headline ‘Killer Markus Tolrana Sentenced to Life in Prison’ was clear at the top.

Annamarie said nothing, just climbed onto the coach and found a seat as far from Chloe as she could and watched as everyone else climbed on. No one sat beside her. In fact, the seat next to the teacher was preferred over sitting next to Annamarie.

Closing her eyes, she let out a breath and gently ran her hand over the hair clip in her fingers. Could she even put it back on after what she had done?

(LINE)

Royal Peacock sighed as she sat on the edge of some random sign in the middle of Paris, swinging her legs below. She’d hoped transforming would give her some relief from her trouble but if anything it made her feel worse. Here she was, a superhero, someone people looked up to, depended on, trusted… and was a thief.

She wiped her eyes slowly, glad the magic made her mask stay in place as she did.

“Hey birdy, what’s the matter?”

She looked up from her tears to see Chat walking casually over to her but with an odd concerned smile on his lips. She returned it as best she could. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Now don’t try that with me.” He cooed, crouching at her side. “Something has ruffled your feathers. So spill.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Hey, as I told a friend once, I like complicated. So? What’s on your mind? Talk to me.”

“It’s about my other side.”

He leant towards her until his nose almost touched hers. “You’re stalling.” He smirked then leant away. “Come on, chat with Chat.”

She stared at him for a moment then looked away. “Fine. I’ve done something… horrid Chat. I… I took something from someone. Something they really care about and I hate myself for it but if I do or say anything then… someone will tell everyone a secret about me that I’ve tried so hard to keep hidden.”

“You mean you’re identity as Royal Peacock?” Chat panicked.

Luckily, his comrade shook her head. “Nothing like that but still pretty bad. Something I wouldn’t be able to recover from if others knew. And I don’t know what to do. I hate what I’ve done, I never wanted to hurt anyone but… I can’t… I don’t know what to do!”

Chat Noir sat beside her and thought about it before shrugging. “Well, if you want my opinion, I think you should do what my lady would do and return the… thing you took.”

“But what about my secret?”

“It’s up to you but what’s more important to you? Some secret or the guilt? I can see it in your eyes Feathers, you’re tearing yourself up over this. So… just follow your heart.”

She stared at him for a bit before standing up. “Thanks Chat, I needed to talk to someone.”

“No problem Pea, you know I’m here for you.”

Spreading her fan, Royal Peacock jumped from the roof and took off into the sky. Chat remained where he was for a bit before looking around, finding it odd that there was no sign of Ladybug. It wasn’t unheard of for her to miss patrol but not normally on a weekend.

(LINE)

Monday and Annamarie decided to take a seat at the very back of the classroom, away from everyone but it was clear everyone was keeping their distance from her anyway. Even the bubbly Rose who normally sat at the back was keeping away from her. She knew she deserved every inch of what she was getting but it still hurt.

But the most painful part was seeing Marinette’s face, the girl clearly distressed and worried about her belongings. It was felt like a punch to the gut every time she saw it, barely able to concentrate on her school work. She sighed when the lunch bell rang and everyone filed out to get something to eat, following Marinette and Alya for a bit until they stopped and sat on a bench, the dark haired girl with her head in her hands and not even touching her food.

Biting her lip, she turned to the shadows and opened her bag where Froufrou was hiding. “Here we go Frou.” She whispered then took the little earrings from her bag.

Froufrou smiled comfortingly then hid once more as Annamarie walked over to the other two coughing to get their attention. Alya looked up while Marinette continued to stare at her food. “What do you want Annamarie? Can’t you just leave her alone?”

The girl choked on her words for a moment then swallowed. “Marinette, can I… can I have a… have a word? In private.”

Alya frowned but Marinette looked up and sighed, standing up, walking with the other to a quieter area below the stairs. They stood face to face for a moment, before the depressed girl sighed. “What do you want Annamarie?”

Steeling herself for a moment, she slowly pulled out her hand from her pocket and opened it up, revealing the two small earrings. Her eyes widened suddenly and snatched them as quick as she could. “ _You_! You… you… you!” She couldn’t even say it.

Unable to look at her, Annamarie lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry. At the pool, I caught Chloe taking them. I managed to get them off her. I’m sorry I didn’t return them to you earlier. Chloe... she… she threatened that… if I said anything… she would tell everyone… about… about my father.”

Marinette frowned at her. “What about your dad?”

She paused, thinking for a moment then sighed. “I… tell everyone that he… he left us for another woman… that we don’t know where he is. But… the truth is… I know where he is.” She somehow managed to look up. “He’s… in prison.”

“Prison? For what?”

“Fraud.” She sighed. “My father… he conned hundreds, if not thousands of people. He sold them products that… that didn’t work. Tablets, medicine… over twenty people died because of his fakes. And when the press found out… they went mad about it and… hounded us. Even after the trial, it haunted us. It was one of the reasons why we left England but Chloe found out. She’s been blackmailing me into silence, threatening to reveal it if I told anyone about your earrings.” Her lower lip shook and she bit it to stop herself as tears pooled in her eyes. “I’m sorry Marinette. I swear I never meant to hurt you. I understand if you want to report me to the police.”

Looking down at her hand, Marinette couldn’t believe how glad she was that they were back and had only been taken as a cruel trick and not by Hawk Moth. Part of her was furious but the jewels in her hand and what they meant, told her what to do. She took hold of Annamarie’s hand and held it tight. “Have you eaten yet?” She asked cheerfully.

Blinking in amazement, Annamarie gasped like a fish. “Umm, no… not yet.”

“Come on then, you can join Alya and me! We’re going to my family bakery!” She laughed, pulling her along. “I noticed Chloe hasn’t been talking to you.”

Annamarie sighed. “Yeah. I… I want nothing to do with her now. I’d rather be friendless than friends with someone like her.”

Marinette looked back at her then smiled as they walked back to her friend. “Alya! Look what Annamarie found! My earrings!”

Alya frowned at her. “Really?” Her voice wasn’t convinced.

Annamarie looked away in guilt and Marinette gave her friend a begging look. Finally Alya gave in and smiled. “I’m glad you got them back, Marinette. Thank you Annamarie.”

The other gave a shy smile, glad the pair appeared to have forgiven her. At least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! I am so sorry to anyone out there who is following this story on AO3! I completely forgot to publish not 1 but 3 chapters on here! I am so sorry! Hope you are still enjoying the story.


	16. Chapter 16 - Peacock Verses the Fox

It had been another exhausting day at school but for Annamarie it was just the start as she left the building, leather satchel bag over one shoulder, ballet bag on the other, preparing to head off once more to practice when she suddenly heard an excited but worried gasp. "No way! Can't be!"

Looking at who had spoken, the dancer gave a small frown before noticing everyone was grabbing their phones and looking at something, huddling together to see the screens. Feeling a little out of the loop, Annamarie carried on before feeling her own phone vibrate and looked to see a breaking news alert on her screen.

The article had a picture of Ladybug before a jewellery store, a large bag on her back as she looked to the camera. The title was even more concerning than the image.

_Ladybug Robs Local Jewellery Store!_

Annamarie stared at the image. Couldn't be… Ladybug would never do something like this. Her phone buzzed her again with another alert.

_Chat Noir Seen Taking Priceless Art!_

Another alert.

_Is it time to ask the question; are Paris' heroes really heroes?_

She felt cold, frozen on the spot as she overheard whispers of her classmates as they read the articles. She couldn't stand and let them think badly of her partners. She turned on the spot and ran back into the school, almost knocking over Marinette and Alya in the process, rushing out an apology as she ducked into the toilets, opening her bag as soon as the door was closed.

Froufrou didn't look impressed at the location. "Eww… a lavatory. How… unhygienic."

"I'm sorry Frou but I don't know what's going on but I know we have to help." She informed the kwami before touching her hair clip, causing it to glow. "Froufrou, Feathers Up!"

In a bright sparkling blue light, Annamarie's normal green summer dress and tights was transformed into the skin tight sky blue suit of Royal Peacock, her face concealed by a mask. Carefully she slipped out of the bathroom window, flying around the building before landing in front of everyone on the steps.

They all gasped at her appearance, many of them taking out their phones to record her but Peacock froze. She knew each and every one of them, all of their names but they had no idea who she was. She felt terrified before them all, words stuck in her throat and unable to think.

But that wouldn't help her or her friends. She had to say something.

It felt like hours but only a few seconds after landing, she gulped and lifted her head a little. "Everyone, I know you have seen the news but I swear to you, Ladybug and Chat Noir would never do this. We are dedicated to protecting the people of Paris and we will discover what is going on here. Please, do not lose faith in us because we will _never_ lose faith in you. We will get to the bottom of this, I promise."

The crowd smiled a little and Peacock decided to take to the air once more, soaring out of sight in just a few seconds.

Back at the school, Marinette grinned to herself; Peacock was always so shy when it came to the public and the press so to see her actually speak without the back up of Chat or Ladybug filled her with pride. But as she vanished, she became worried about Chat and whatever was pretending to be her.

Alya beside her groaned as she finished uploaded the video of Peacock to the Ladyblog. "Ah! I can't believe this! What is going on with Chat and Ladybug?"

"I don't know." Marinette said honestly, trying to work it out.

"And they are heading in different directions!" The reporter sighed as she checked the news feeds. "I can't follow both stories unless…" She turned to Marinette and grinned. "Will you follow the Chat story for me while I go after Ladybug?"

Marinette was about to complain and make up an excuse before realising this _was_ her excuse. "Umm... yeah, sure."

"Great! Just film everything for the blog and I will edit it later!" She yelled, already heading off.

Letting out a breath, Marinette ran the other way until she found a safe place, opening her purse to let Tikki out. "Any ideas Tikki? I mean, we faced a copycat before now but a copy _bug_?"

"I'm not sure Marinette but we need to get to the bottom of this before the whole of Paris thinks you're a villain!"

"Yeah, you're alright. We better hurry. Tikki, Spots on!"

* * *

Royal Peacock held tight to the handles of her glider as she searched the roofs for her friends, her bird's eye view giving her an advantage but as she flew over Paris, she noticed a red dot being chased by some larger, less agile white and blue ones. She quickly dropped down to the roof and stood beside the police captain as he led his men over the roofs. "Captain! You can't be up here. It's not safe."

"Your so-called-friends have just stolen a few thousands euros worth of jewels and art. Not to mention the damage to public property." The Captain said, arms folded. "And the only reason you are not under arrest right now is because we have no reason to believe you are involved in all this."

"Neither are Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Peacock insisted, keeping her distance. "I mean, with all the magic and crazy things that have happened in this city, you really should take situations like this with a pinch of salt." She turned her eyes to the city but by then the red dot was far from sight. "Please, give me one hour to prove they are innocent."

"More like one hour to help your collaborators escape? I don't think so."

She waved a hand to the people around them. "Then at least get your men off the roofs! It's not…" She stopped speaking when they both heard a scream, turning to see one of the officers hanging to the guttering of a flat but as they watched the metal broke off and he began to fall.

The police were moving to help but Peacock was faster, jumping off the roof and flying down, catching him by the arm and pulling him back up, dropping him on the slate. As the man fell to his knees, panting from shock, Peacock glared at the Captain. "Get your men off the roof." She ordered then took to the sky once again.

After a few minutes of circling, she saw the police were still following the hunt but at least had climbed down to the roads. Now it was just the task of finding Ladybug herself and putting a stop to this. She continued to fly, looking for either of her partners before she let out a small gasp when she saw Ladybug jumping over the rooftops above her, a bag of stolen goods on her back, laughing as she avoided the police.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing, that the news report was right… Ladybug, her friend… a thief… she shook her head and began her descent, landing just ahead of her and running to follow but Ladybug just swung her yo-yo ahead of her, changing direction suddenly to avoid her grasp, smirking as she did.

But in that moment, the Peacock skidded to a stop, unable to comprehend what she had just seen. "Can't be…" she whispered to herself before her brows narrowed in determination and then closed her fan before throwing it at the back of her ally. As she thought, the fan passed right through her as the Ladybug vanished in a puff of orange smoke before reappearing without even noticing what had happened.

"An illusion." She realised. Ladybug wasn't a thief! Her friend hadn't turned to the dark side! She was so relieved before a far more worrying thought came to mind. Someone was trying to frame Ladybug. Someone powerful enough to create an illusion that fooled everyone. Even her.

She had to find the others. The _real_ others. She opened her fan's communicator, trying to contact either of them but nothing worked. It didn't connect so either they weren't transformed or something was blocking the signal. She'd have to find them the old fashioned way.

Taking to the sky, she scanned the city for any sign of the real Ladybug or Chat Noir and soon her bird's eye view allowed her to spot a black cat chasing a red lady and she swooped down to fly above her partner, the Ladybug still giving off the same bluish light she'd seen earlier, the thing that had given away the illusion. "Chat!" She yelled, landing and running alongside him. "Chat, it's not her! It's an illusion!"

He didn't stop running, eyes set on the Ladybug.

Peacock frowned as he did and sprinted ahead, spreading her arms in front of him but even that didn't stop him as they collided, both being knocked to the floor. Chat rolled with the fall and soon found his way back to his feet, glancing back for what had tripped him but his eyes didn't even glance at the woman as she stood right before him. His shoulder dropped as he sighed. "Where are you Feathers?" He asked the thin air then ran the other way after Ladybug.

Panting, Royal Peacock closed her hand around her fan and tried to think. Whatever was doing this was affecting the others, blinding them to each other and yet she was immune. Because she already shattered the illusion? Or was it something else? She looked around again, spotting a Ladybug chasing a Chat in the other direction. She could shatter the illusions for them as well but that she couldn't grantee that would stop the source. She had to take that out first.

Jumping back into the sky, looking at the fake Ladybug and the fake Chat, observing the near invisible waves of light that came off them, the strings that would lead her to the creator of these illusions. She followed them back, circling an office building from above as she observed a woman on the roof and at first she thought it was a miraculous. It certainly looked like one; mask, unusual weapon, skin tight suit and even a tail. But this was the cause of the fakes… and anything that wanted to frame or threaten her allies was her enemy.

She jumped down to the railing of the roof just behind the person and stepped down to the open space between the pipes and vents on the roof. "Hey! You there!"

The orange fox turned quickly on the spot, looking slightly confused and shocked at being disturbed by the blue hero. "What! But… how did you…"

"Break free?" She finished. "My power is illusions. Do you really think you're _amateur_ work would fool me?"

The other frowned as she jumped into the opening between them, twisting her flute to her side. "So you're the Peacock I've been told about. Odd, I was expecting someone… older."

"You have me at a disadvantage. You know me but who are you?"

"Volpina." She introduced with a slight mocking bow. "I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir have talked about me?"

Peacock just shook her head and shrugged. "Never heard of you."

The fox frowned. "You know, didn't anyone ever warn you not to mess with a fox, little bird?" She stepped forwards a bit more, eyes locked on the masked hero as a purple mask lit up her face. "Alright then Peacock, let's see which of us is the _true_ master of illusions."

Spreading out her fan, Peacock took a defensive position, ready for her attack. "Lets."

Spinning her flute to her lips, Volpina played a quick tune, a ball of light forming at the end before throwing it at the bird. Peacock jumped quickly over it, feeling the heat against her face, fan raised to her eyes as she protected her gaze from the blinding attack. She landed on the ground in a crouch, looking up at Volpina as she prepared to summon again, throwing her fan like a boomerang at the fox, knocking it away and allowing her to get closer and grab the musical instrument.

The two of them held on at an end each, pulling back and forth for control of it before Peacock suddenly pushed instead of pulled, knocking the end into its owner's chest. Stunned, it caused her to let go and Peacock threw it to the side while her fist tried to punch the Fox.

Suddenly they were in hand to hand, jumping, kicking and trying to catch each other. Even with all her training with Chat and Ladybug, Peacock wasn't as skilled as the older heroes and it showed as Volpina smirked and managed a solid punch to her jaw, sending the blue bird back a few steps, panting and rubbing her chin.

The fox took full advantage and ran back to her flute, erratically playing and casting the illusion ball to the ground right at Peacock's feet. She couldn't protect her eyes fast enough and was stunned by the attack, shaking her head to try and clear it before finding herself surrounded by copies of Volpina.

They all stood, hand on hips, around her. "Well…" they all said in unison, causing an echo. "I guess that answers which of us is the best at illusions."

Peacock panted as she turned on the spot, looking at them all, panicking over who was the real target. Pick the wrong one and she'd doom herself. Suddenly, her vision highlighted one of them in blue and the others turned grey.

The same thing that had happened when she faced the fake Ladybug.

She blinked as it faded away and frowned to herself. The others were often talking about their 'spot vision' or 'night vision'.

_Is this mine? Is my vision to see... what was real? To see past lies to the truth? So the blue one... was the real one._

Spreading the fan out, she smirked to herself. "Yes! ME!" She shouted, charging at the one while her fan span through the fakes, destroying them in puffs of orange smoke. Volpina watched in horror as they vanished before suddenly reaching out and grabbing her hands, pushing back to keep the two of them apart. Peacock glared at her as she tried to push her back. "Enough of the illusions Volpina!"

The fox frowned as she pushed against her but then smirked, letting go with one hand and using the other to pull Peacock closer, her hand thrusting into her stomach. The brunette went stock still at the action as a cold numbness came over her and looked slowly down between them. Volpina's hand was clenched around a handle of some kind while something had been thrust into the side of her stomach.

As she watched, the blue fabric down her side slowly began to turn a deep purple, mixing with red.

Volpina grinned as she pulled it sharply back, allowing the magic that had formed the knife to dissipate and watched as Peacock staggered slightly. "How right you are birdy." She teased, following her as she stepped backwards. "No more illusions. Now, if you would just give me your miraculous… I will leave you to die in peace."

Hand over the wound, Royal Peacock gasped at each painful breath, still walking backwards until she was at the edge of the building, looking down on a busy road below, swaying on the spot as she tried to think but her mind was spinning.

Still following, Volpina shook her head. "There's nowhere for you to go birdy. Unless you're going to spread your wings and fly."

Peacock looked back at her and, even in pain, smiled. "You know what? That's _just_ what I'm going to do." She said then allowed herself to fall backwards over the edge and towards the ground.

The fox ran to watch, just in time to see the glider open and swoop out of her reach. "NOOO!" She screamed, furious her prey had gotten away. In the air, Peacock gasped painfully as she managed to get as high as she could but being stretched out over her transport was causing a fire in her side and it spread.

She tried to keep her eyes open but it was her head that span, the edge of her eyes turning black as she tried, struggling to keep her glider straight, narrowly avoiding colliding into several buildings until at one she didn't move fast enough, catching a TV aerial and spinning out of control as she dropped down to the roof of a building, fingers barely holding on to the handles as she fell to the plastic covering. It was only a few meters of a drop but she still lost her balance and rolled until her back pressed against something hard and she fell still. She groaned softly at the pain in her side, fighting the urge to black out as she covered it with one hand and pulled her fan close to her face with the other.

Each move was agony and her head didn't want to hold on but she pulled the colour eye down with her thumb and once more tried to contact the others, hoping her fight with Volpina had distracted or weakened her enough to allow the signal. Luckily, the device rang.

* * *

A few miles away, Ladybug panted as she chased the black cat across rooftops. "Chat! Stop this! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why not, my lady? With my power, I make a _purr_ -fect cat burglar." He laughed, swinging around an aerial. "And the ladies do like a bad boy."

"This isn't like you Chat!" She shouted at him, preparing to throw her yo-yo out and wrap it around him when it suddenly rang, the icon on it of a blue peacock feather instead of green cat paw. She opened it, still looking at the smug Chat. "Royal Peacock, where are you? Something is wrong with Chat! I need…"

"It's not real." Peacock gasped weakly, cutting her off. "It… it's an illusion Ladybug. What… you're seeing isn't real. You… you have to… ignore it… and… it will… stop. Please."

Ladybug frowned as she looked at the image on the screen, the picture sideways and Peacock looked abnormally pale. "Pea? What's wrong?"

She didn't reply, her eyes closing and she fell silent, the only movement being her chest lifting and falling irregularly.

Realisation struck the heroine as she watched. She was hurt. The angle was because she'd fallen and couldn't get up. And now… she'd passed out. She looked up at the cat, teasing her, waiting for her to give chase once more. "Come on Bugaboo." He mocked, stepping closer. "Don't you want to catch me?"

Staring, the spotted hero glanced down at her yo-yo before she turned and ran the other way, leaving the cat behind. She didn't use the device in her hand, keeping it connected to Peacock's image and watching her breathing.

She ran over the roofs as best she could without her wire, looking around until she came across Chat, fighting against her. "Chat!" She shouted towards him as she looked down at the gap between them before taking a great leap over it. "Chat Noir stop! It's not real!"

He didn't respond, still blocking the fake's attacks and avoiding lashing out in response. Worried, the real Ladybug ran up behind him as he backed away from the fake her and grabbed his tail, pulling hard on it. "Hey! Wake up Kitty Cat!"

The yank must have pulled him out of his dream as he looked back and forth on seeing both Ladybugs, jaw dropping as he did a double take. "Okay… déjà vu."

"Except this time, this double is a fake." Ladybug stated as she looked at the copy before remembering the more important task and looked down at the yo-yo. "Just ignore it and they go away. And we have to find Peacock. She's been hurt."

Chat quickly looked over her shoulder at the image. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She passed out before I could find out."

Quickly the cat pulled his staff out, opening up the screen before shaking his head. "Can't track her with the video link open." He let out a deep breath and snatched the red device from her hand, holding it to his ear, eyes closed as he concentrated.

"What are you…"

She was silenced by a hand to her lips as the cat listened. "She's by a busy road…" He said after a moment. "I can hear traffic and horns… and she must be high up or someone would have seen her." He paused, eyes screwed up tighter as he concentrated past the sound, narrowing on one.

_"And now we are coming up to the famous Arc de Tromphe, built in…"_

He stopped listening and opened his eyes, passing the yo-yo back. "She's at the Arc."

"Are you sure?"

"Heard a tour bus talking." He explained, loading up a map and plotting a route. "But…" He paused and looked at the yo-yo. "Pea… she doesn't sound good. We need to find her quick."

Ladybug nodded, moving to close the yo-yo when Chat held her hand, stopping her. "Keep it open. We might still need the connection."

"But the Arc is miles away."

He gave her a serious look. "I'll carry you. We need that call open so we can make sure she's still…" He choked on the last word. The gravity of the situation was too real for jokes.

Ladybug also realised the implications of this one mission and nodded, climbing onto his back and allowing him to fly towards one of Paris' famous landmarks. It wasn't long before they arrived and landed on top of the building, looking around for signs of their partner but every side was surrounded with buildings, any one of them able to hide the bird.

"She could be anywhere." Ladybug mumbled, looking at the image. "Ok... let's think..." She said then pointed at the image. "The sun is behind her so…" She looked at the sky and then at the buildings. "She's got to be in that direction. Chat, wave your staff slowly over that area."

Doing as told, Chat extended his stick to a comical length and gradually moved it over the allocated area, Ladybug watching the image intently until… "Stop!"

He froze, arm straining to keep the staff still but Ladybug could just see the tip of metal over Peacock's shoulder. She looked up to see where the staff was and nodded. "She's there!"

Yo-yo closed, the two hurried over to the building in question, almost instantly finding Peacock behind the wall, the two of them gasping at the sight of her. "Peacock!" Ladybug shouted as she knelt at her side, rolling her to her back and looking her over.

She gave a small moan at being moved, her hand falling from where it had been. Chat noticed the darkness on her suit and his eyes widened. "She's been stabbed!" He realised, pressing down on the wound. "She's losing too much blood! We need to get her to a hospital."

"We can't move her. Not like this." Ladybug explained before looking around for anything she could use then realised her idiotic moment, pulling out the yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" She shouted.

A red and black spotted bandage fell into her hands and she smiled at the simplicity for once. The two of them quickly wrapped it tight around her wound and Chat stood, holding her. "I'll carry her. I'm fastest on land."

Ladybug nodded and they set off at a sprint for the nearest hospital, several miles away from the Arc but for the superheroes, it didn't take long before they were charging into the reception. "We need some help here!" Ladybug shouted.

Almost at once, doctors and nurses came to help them, placing Peacock on a gurney and wheeling her away, talking loudly and urgently as they did. Ladybug was about to follow them when Chat took hold of her shoulder and shook his head. "They need to work. Besides you need to get out of here." He pointed to her ear. "You only have 2 spots left."

Oddly, Ladybug shook her head. "I can't just leave. Not when our friend is… is…"

"I will stay here." He promised, showing his fully charged ring. "I'm not going to change back yet so I will stay here and wait until you get some food and come back." He stared at her for a moment then reached out and hugged her tight, feeling her hold him back. "Don't worry, she'll be alright." Normally a hug with his lady would be the best moment of his life but with blood covering his suit and his friend fighting for her life, he just wanted to comfort her and feel something ground him to reality. "You better go." He whispered, squeezing her a little tighter. "I'll be here when you come back."

Nodding into his shoulder, the lady turned and ran to the hospital café, bought a large cookie and sprinted outside, getting into the shadows just in time as Tikki fell into her hands. She panted for a moment then looked at the little red bug. "Tikki… Peacock… she will… get better right?"

"I don't know." Tikki said softly, sadness clear in her voice. "Her wound was caused when she was in her magical form… and the wound was caused by Hawk Moth's magic… I… I don't know if she _will_ recover. It's a dangerous situation she's in."

"You mean she might…" Marinette let a tear fall down her face. "She might… die?" It made her heart sink at the words. She could only just register that they weren't as invincible as she first believed. That even with the masks, they could still be hurt. But why did Peacock have to be the one to make them realise that?

Tikki didn't answer her so they sat in silence while she ate and got her strength back, Marinette terrified to go back inside and discover the fate of her friend. Finally the little bug burped and covered her mouth. "Pardon."

Normally that would make Marinette smile but right now, she was just glad she was full. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Inside the hospital, Chat Noir sat on the bench with a damp cloth a nurse had given him, using it to wash off the last of Peacock's blood. Magic might stop it from staining but he couldn't stand the idea of it covering him. It made him want to hunt down and cut the person who did it into tiny pieces. He sighed and ran a claw back in his hair and over his ears. Adrian was meant to be at a photo-shoot right then and no doubts everyone was waiting for him and would be disappointed when he didn't show but right then, Royal Peacock was the most important thing.

"Chat!"

He stood up as his lady ran over to him and into his arms. "Ladybug." He whispered as he hugged her tight.

"Any news?" She whispered as they stepped back.

The cat shook his head and sat down. "No. I've been sat here the whole time but no one has come out."

Sitting beside him, Ladybug watched the door, hands scrunched up in her lap. "She'll be alright… won't she?"

"She's a tough bird." Chat said as he reached out and took hold of her hands, squeezing them tight. "I mean, remember not long after we met, she lost control of her glider and landed in the river?"

Ladybug gave a short chuckle, smiling slightly. "Yes, because you distracted her. And when she climbed out, she went chasing after you and threatening to give you a bath. She was furious."

"Don't you mean _fur_ -ious?" He teased.

She rolled her eyes but stopped when the doors opened and a doctor stepped out. Ladybug's smile fell as she looked up at him. "Doctor? How is she?"

He let out a deep breath. "We… we haven't been able to stop the bleed. For some reason all our normal methods aren't working. She's stable, which is a good thing, but she's still losing too much blood."

Ladybug sighed. "My kwami said the same thing; her wound was caused by magic… as is Peacock. So… nothing can… nothing but magic can help her."

The black cat frowned before stepping forwards a little. "Can we see her?"

"Of course."

He moved to enter the room then reached back and took hold of Ladybug's hand, guiding her along with him into the room. Pardon a nurse on the far side, it was empty and silent, Peacock lying on a medical bed, oxygen mask over her mouth and her middle was covered with a thick bandage but a horrid darkness could be seen seeping through the fabric. Steadying herself, Ladybug let go of Chat and walked around to the other side, tears in her eyes as she reached out and brushed the face of her friend. "Pea…" She whispered.

She looked so pale and lifeless. If it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of her chest…

Chat gripped the rail of the bed tight, fury growing inside him before he spotted the red and black bandage they had used to get her there and his eyes widened with hope. "Miraculous." He said, looking at Ladybug. "You summoned a lucky charm so you can use Miraculous Cure to heal her. You said only magic can fix this so we use magic!"

Ladybug shook her head as she glanced at the bandage. "I wish I could. But I can only use Miraculous when an Akuma has been purified."

"Then we go after the Akuma." Chat said as calmly as he could. "There must be one out there, who did this to her! We go and stop it and save Peacock."

She looked at him for a moment then her eyes became determined and she turned her gaze to their friend, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "We will be back soon Peacock. Just hold on." She whispered then pulled away.

Chat held the blue's shoulder and nodded. "Hang in their Feathers." His gaze shifted to her fan as it lay on a side table then picked it up, securing it to his side on his belt. Finally he looked at Ladybug and nodded. "Let's go my lady."

* * *

Leaving the hospital, the pair jumped to the roofs and hurried onwards, blind on where they were going but hoping the Akuma would come looking for them. Fortunately, they did.

And when they saw the returning mask of the false miraculous, both of them felt sick. "Volpina!" Chat called, gripping his staff tighter. "You… you're back?"

"Of course." She laughed, jumping down from a chimney stack she'd been standing on. "And I'm even stronger than the last time we met."

"What do you want this time liar?"

She smirked. "I already have what I want. You two." Her eyes shifted to Chat and his belt. "I see you got my little message."

Chat grit his teeth. "Peacock is fighting for her _life_ because of you!"

"She thought she could take me on alone." The fox laughed, twirling her flute. "Well, she was wrong. And to be honest, I was a little disappointed; I expected more of a challenge."

*"Then allow me." The black cat snapped, charging out towards her, baton already extended and swinging for her but the flute came up to block, a confident smirk on her lips.

She laughed. "Did you think I'd let you get me that easily?"

As she moved her flute away from his baton to strike back against him, Volpina could tell that Chat Noir's emotions towards her were strong and wild and she knew that she could use that to her advantage. An opponent who was emotionally compromised could be defeated easily. _Very_ easily. She smirked wider at the revelation.

Once he was out of the way, Ladybug would be ripe for the picking. With this plan in mind, she began her assault against the black cat.

Blow after blow continued to be exchanged between the pair and although Volpina knew that Chat was gradually slowing down, he still had enough stamina in him to keep going. But, she thought, eventually he would reach his breaking point.

Meanwhile Ladybug was waiting for an opening to appear so she could jump in and grab the necklace that held the tainted Akuma. She hated to just wait around, but she knew that if she were to jump in now when Volpina and Chat were exchanging attacks, her chances of getting seriously hurt by one of them were high. She was more of a long distance fighter and tactician and although she could handle herself in a one-on-one match, it wasn't her best skill so chose to avoid it if she could.

She twirled her yo-yo in a circle beside her while waiting for her moment to strike; she wanted to be prepared for whatever Volpina was going to give her. Although she had fought her before and knew most of her tricks, there was still a small chance that she could pull something completely out of left field and surprise them both. She needed to be ready for anything.

"Lucky Charm!" She decided to go ahead and call for her special power as she had a feeling that she was going to need it here soon. The energy she released came together to form a fan that looked very similar to Peacock's apart from it being red with black spots instead of blue. She was a little confused as to what she would use it for, but she took it as a sign that their comrade was sending them help in a sense.

Meanwhile, Chat continued to swing his baton at his opponent, desperate to get this over as quickly as possible. With Peacock's life on the line, he had no time to dawdle. He felt the fan that was dangling from his belt hit his leg as he swung around once more to dodge an attack. The tiny touch reminded him that he couldn't let her down.

He narrowed his eyes in determination. He _wasn't_ going to let her die.

Chat put a little more force into his attacks which forced Volpina to go on the defensive. A smirk grew on his face as he felt himself growing confident that he might give his Lady an opening to grab the akumatised item.

He felt himself grow a little bit tired from putting so much strength in his attacks, but he knew that he had to do it this way. He needed to stop her by any means necessary. Time was of the essence. Plus seeing the smirk on Volpina's face made him want nothing more than to wipe it off.

After he sent another attack in her direction, he finally saw it. An opening.

He moved back to strike.

...only to find that Volpina had seen it coming. With the smirk still plastered on her face, she easily moved out of the way of his attack and grabbed his baton, then utilized the energy he had put into the attack to throw him and his baton a good distance away from her.

Chat braced himself for the impact he knew he would feel from hitting the ground while Ladybug's eyes widened to see what had happened to her partner. "Chat!" She called out to him.

She took a step forward to try and help him, but instead found herself forcing her yo-yo out in front of her to form a shield to stop Volpina's incoming attack. She spared a small glance towards Chat before turning her attention back on the Akuma. She could only hope that he was alright after a throw like that. Although she knew that it was highly likely that he was fine, after what happened to Peacock she couldn't help but be scared of the possibility.

She tried to use her yo-yo to fight, but very quickly she found it to be an inadequate weapon to use against Volpina's flute. She took a step back to try and figure out something when suddenly she noticed that in her vision she could see Volpina briefly light up with red and black spots. She was still a bit confused, but once she looked down at the fan that she held in her other hand, her eyes widened in understanding.

She needed to exchange her yo-yo for the fan and fight with it instead.

Ladybug knew that fans could be used as a weapon, watching Peacock do it all the times. She smiled. Now she was for certain that this charm was sent by their comrade, to continue the fight with them.

She extended the fan out to its full size and began to use it to fight back against Volpina. Her smile widened as she found that it certainly was a more effective weapon than her yo-yo was.

Volpina frowned slightly as she began to notice that Ladybug was gaining the upper hand on her. She had thought that when she took down that mangy cat, that she would be easy pickings. She ought to know better, since she had fought her before and she knew that Ladybug wasn't one to go down easily. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't try.

She threw her flute out towards Ladybug in an effort to find some kind of weakness in her attacks. She knew that since this weapon wasn't her main one, she more than likely was a novice at it and that there would be cracks in her offense.

More blows were exchanged between them and as it continued Volpina finally found the crack she was looking for.

Ladybug was a little concerned when Volpina's smirk returned. Why was she smiling? She found out shortly after.

Before Ladybug could stop her from making the attack, Volpina had used her flute to strike her wrist sharply, making her lose her grip on the fan, causing it to fall to the ground and Volpina sharply kicked the fan out of the way before she could make a grab for it and began attacking harshly to prevent her from trying to get away.

"Looks like your luck just ran out, Ladybug!" Ladybug grimaced at Volpina's laugh and began twirling her yo-yo once again.*

Chat gasped as he stood back up and tried to control his temper. Part of him knew he was letting his emotions get the better of him, letting his anger and fear over Peacock impact his actions but he couldn't stop it. With a moment to think as Ladybug kept the fox busy, he took the fan from his belt and looked at it, hoping for confidence but the bright, colourful device looked suddenly washed out, with the colour fading out of it to a dull grey.

His eyes looked towards the hospital, far out of his view but he could feel it. She was dying. Claws closed tight around her lifeline, he looked at the fox. "Time to end this. Come on Feathers, help me out here." He took a deep breath then spread the fan out as he'd seen his comrade do a hundred times before and pressed the jewelled button at the bottom, watching it spread out to its glider form.

Leaping into the air, he felt the device pull him high into the sky, twisting with an unseen wind to his wishes, looking down on the world below before suddenly diving down, the fan collapsing back to its smaller form as he landed right on Volpina's back, knocking her to the floor, her flute flying out of her grasp and into Ladybug's waiting hands.

Weapon-less, Chat took the moment to grab her necklace once more and pulled it a little too roughly from the fox's neck and closed his hand around it, the little black butterfly fluttering away.

Ladybug soon caught it and released a white one but she didn't care, just ran to the lucky charm and threw it above her head with a loud; "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Hundreds of helpful ladybugs filled the air and flew across the city, repairing all the damage Volpina's illusions had done. Chat let out a deep breath as he watched it but then looked at the fan in his hands. The colour was still fading out of it and he looked up with concern. "Peacock…"

Leaving Lila where she was, they shared a look then took off, running for the hospital, jumping into the room where Peacock was. The place was clean and tidy, the bed neatly made and empty. No sign it had even been used.

Ladybug stepped into the room a little more and shook her head. "Where… where is she?"

"She… she can't be gone… can she?"

"I think you have something of mine cat."

They turned at the voice and grinned when Peacock stepped into the room behind them, smiling and unharmed. She gave a small shrug. "I had to go recharge." She explained, touching her hairgrip. "Luckily, hospitals are a great place to find grapes."

Ladybug just stood in stunned silence before running forward and grabbing her, hugging her tight and allowing her tears to finally fall freely. "Pea." She whispered. "I… we… you… I thought…"

Her arms were solid around her back as the two girls embraced, Peacock stroking the back of her head gently. "I'm alright." She promised. "I'm here and I'm alright."

Chat soon stepped over and hugged them both at the same time. "You scared us Feathers."

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'm alright, I swear… but I can't stay. I only stuck around to tell you two that I'm okay but I have to go home, my family must be worried about me."

"Meet us tonight, normal place and time."

"You know it Spots." She promised, releasing the red heroine.

Chat nodded to her. "Take care Feathers."

"You too Kitty." She said then hurried out of the hospital and back towards her home, dropping down and changing back around the corner and holding Froufrou close. "Are you sure you're alright Frou?"

The kwami nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine. But what about you? You were the one stabbed, not me."

She sighed and ran a hand over where it had been, a phantom pain ebbing from it. "I'm shaken, I'm not going to lie. But I think I'm alright."

"I never expected you to get hurt Annamarie. But I'm so proud of you. You were able to maintain miraculous form while unconscious. That takes a lot of skill."

She smiled then placed the little bird in her bag. "I think it was more 'lady luck' than skill."

Almost as soon as she entered her home, her mother was on her, demanding to know where she had been and why she hadn't answered her phone. She made up a quick lie about going to the cinema before accepting her grounding for a week and retreated to her room. Only then, when Froufrou was fed and had fallen asleep did she allow herself to accept what had happened and break down in tears.

As her eyes fell to a new collection of photos covering her wall.

She had to do something.

* * *

That night, Royal Peacock sat on the normal roof top that the others used as a meeting place, waiting for them. It was Ladybug who arrived next and almost instantly hugged her yet again. "I was so worried about you Pea."

Returning the sensation, Peacock sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm going to have nightmares I'm sure but I'll live." She said, showing her side. "But… we do need to talk about it."

"I'll say." Chat interrupted as he landed on the roof, frowning at the blue miraculous. "What were you thinking taking on an Akuma alone? And Volpina of all of them!"

She stood and put a hand on her hip, smirking. "Well if some pussycat hadn't been chasing his tail…."

"This is not a joke Peacock!" he shouted at her, eyes glowing with fury as he grabbed her shoulders to keep her eyes on him. "You should know better than to take on an Akuma alone! We are a team! We don't go solo when we have two others to depend on. We look after each other and protect each other! We never go anywhere alone and you should know that! So don't you dare ever do anything like that again, understood?"

The other stared at him, stunned into silence by his outburst. "Chat…"

He released her, looking away. "I'm sorry. I just… you two are the most important people in my life. And… I almost lost one of you today."

Peacock smile softened as she stepped up to him and held his forearm. "It's alright Chat. I understand why you're angry. It was a wakeup call for all of us." She sighed and let him go, reaching to the floor where she'd been sat. "Which is why I've got this."

"What is it?" Ladybug asked as she looked at the small envelopes in her hand.

"It's the key code and location to a safe deposit box." Peacock informed them, handing one envelope to them each. "I went there today and set it up. Inside the box is a letter with my real name and contact details of my family."

Ladybug gasped. "What? Why would you do that!?"

"Because… my heart stopped today." She confessed. "Before you arrived, the doctors told me that my heart stopped about two minutes before the miraculous healed me. They were doing CPR but it wasn't working. If… if you had been even a minute longer… I wouldn't be here. And it made me realise… that should something happen to me as Peacock, I would want you to tell my family. So if next time…"

"There won't be a next time." Chat snapped.

"You don't know that." She said, level voiced. "Look, Hawk Moth is no longer playing by the rules. Just taking our _miraculous_ won't do anymore. He wants to take our _lives_. And even with all the luck and skill and magic and goodness in the world on our side, we need to prepare for the worst. The letter is sealed in the safe so you can't see it unless you want to." She turned her gaze to Ladybug. "But I recommend we all do it. That code will allow you to put something into the box as well as take something out."

Ladybug and Chat sat in silence for a bit, thinking before Ladybug sighed. "She's right." She told the cat. "We need to take precautions. We need to think about our lives behind the mask. I know if something happened to me, I would want my family to know."

"But what if someone finds the box?" Chat protested.

"What would they find? Three bits of paper with random names and addresses? They would be meaningless to anyone but us."

Ladybug nodded, looking down at the paper. "I will do mine tomorrow."

"Go out of costume." Peacock advised. "Just to be safe."

"Alright."

Chat sighed as he put the paper away. "I can't believe we are doing this. But I'll go the day after."

"This is for the worst case Chat. Hopefully, we will never need it."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas! And are looking forwards to a great new year. I saw a picture on Facebook the other day; Employee of the Year... and had a picture of the Grim Reaper on it. Yeah, I would have to agree.
> 
> Anyway; sorry if you this chapter isn't the 'happy' chapter you might have expected but as I said last week, this is the turning point. So now, Annamarie is a good person, she has real friends and is being true to herself... and Hawk Moth is getting a bit more violent. Don't be expecting many 'How did they become Akuma' stories from now on, its more going to be 'How do Akumas impact the heroes' stories.
> 
> Updates are going to be a lot quicker for a while, since the next... I think 10 chapters are all ready to go! I just need to give them final reads.
> 
> But I want to give a MASSIVE! (CAPS LOCK, BOLD, UNDERLINE AND ITALIC LEVEL MASSIVE) thanks to Knowlee for this chapter. The main fight in here, between Chat, Ladybug and Volpina, I could not do justice so I asked Knowlee... she worked on it for a few months but just before Christmas sent me the finished thing. She is so good, I can't thank her enough for her work! Honestly, you can't tell where her work starts and where I pick up. (If you want to know, look for the *)
> 
> So thank you Knowlee, that was the best Christmas present anyone could give me!
> 
> Next on my 'thank you' list is BlueWolf4444. She drew me a beautiful image of a 'Bye Bye Little Butterfly' but with a blue bird instead. This has since become the cover for Flock of Feathers so please, check it out. s/12266794/1/Flock-of-Feathers
> 
> Speaking of Flock, I know a few people were interested in the 'Christmas Special' I was talking about last week; Its uploaded and waiting for you on the other file. Please go and read it, the AN at the bottom is very important.
> 
> Finally, DF-chan. If you are out there Birdie... Merry Christmas. I miss you.
> 
> And that goes to everyone else out there!
> 
> Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings and A Happy New Year! Stay miraculous! See you in 2017!


	17. Chapter 17 - Father’s Day

"And then…" Alya laughed. "Then she dropped it right on his foot!" She finished then broke out into a fit of hysterics, soon joined by Annamarie while Marinette just blushed.

"I didn't mean to." She confessed, embarrassed that the story put her in a bad light.

As the others laughed, Annamarie suddenly stopped and reached for her pocket as her phone rang. "Mom." She explained before taking the call, stepping away to talk in private. From their position, Marinette and Alya watched as her face went from happy to a blank expression over the course of the call. When she finally said her goodbyes and set the phone down, the two girls walked over and Alya held her shoulder. "Hey, you alright?"

The exchange girl just stood looking down at the ground, clearly trying to think before she shook her head and looked at them. "I… I have to go." She stated before turning quickly on the spot and hurried off, holding her bag tight as she went. The others stared at each other but then the school bell rang, telling them to get back to class.

Skipping school, Annamarie hurried to her home and opened the door, looking around as she did. "Mom? Mom?" She called before entering the kitchen and finding her mother with a cup of coffee and a smile on her lips while across from her was a man with short light brown hair in a sweatshirt and jeans, his eyes dark and cold but he smiled as he saw her.

"Ah! There you are." He leant off the counter and stepped towards her. "My little girl." He gave a chuckle. "You've grown again."

"I'm the same height I was two years ago… dad." She said, almost choking on the last word, staring him hard in the eyes.

Her father smile grew a little. "I guess so." He reached out for her head but she instantly pulled away from him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sharply. "_ _How__ are you here?"

Markus Tolrana sighed and leant back on the counter, his eyes turned away from her. "Released on bail." He gave a short little grin. "And once I was, I found out where my special little girl is and came to get her."

Glancing over at her mother, the teenager let out a breath. "I see." She said softly then walked over to her mom and squeezed her hand. "Are you alright mom?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Estella asked with a chuckle. "Markus says he's turned over a leaf."

"I have." Markus explained. "I'm getting back into body guarding. Got a client set up already, over in America."

A smile came to the girl's lips. "Oh. That's great, I'm happy for you."

"Yep. Even set me up with a home for you guys too."

The smile vanished. "What?"

Markus nodded vigorously. "Yep, we fly this weekend."

"Did you know about this mom?"

"I… I didn't. Mark, you should have said something."

"I wanted to surprise you!" he laughed. "Come on, you must be excited! It's America! Land of the Free!"

Estella frowned as she stood off the counter. "We just moved to Paris… and you want to move us again?"

Her husband gave her a sharp look. "Stella, did you really think I could work _ _here__? What with those costumed freaks running around? And in a place I barely speak a word of the language?" He huffed. "I've worked real hard to get this job and I want my family to be with me. We are going to America and that is final."

If she was about to argue, Annamarie was cut off when her phone rang, pulling it out of her pocket and looking at the screen to see Marinette's face and name.

"Who's that?" Her father snapped sharply.

"No one." Annamarie said quickly, rejecting the call and stuffing it back into her pocket.

Markus frowned as he stepped forward towards her. "Hand it over Annamarie." He held out his hand for her.

Clutching it tighter, she grimaced. "Dad, it's my phone."

"I don't care. Hand it over." His eyes narrowed and glared at her. "Now!"

Flinching at his shout, the teenager lowered her head and handed the device over, just as it began to ring again.

Her father glared at it then accepted the call. "Hello." He said, his lack of understanding in the French language clear. "How is this?"

"Sorry? Umm, my name's Marinette. Is Annamarie there?"

Out of that, Markus only understood 'Marinette' and 'Annamarie' as he glared into the distance. "Stop calling." He said slowly, thinking each word out. "Don't call again. Stay away from daughter." He stated then cut off the call and looked at the brunette. "You are not to speak to that girl again. Am I clear?"

"Dad, she's my friend."

"I don't care. Now, go to your room and start packing."

The dancer glanced at her mother but the older woman couldn't look at her child so the girl walked slowly up stairs and into her room before sitting on her bed. Froufrou slowly appeared from his hiding place and flew over, a concerned look on his face as he did. "Annamarie? Are you alright? Your dad… he... I thought he was..."

"Why is he here? Why now? Just when I'm starting to make friends." She mumbled to herself, hugging her arms as she looked up. "What am I going to do Frou? I can't be Peacock in America… not when Chat and Ladybug are here. And… I don't want to go."

"Then tell him."

"You saw him." She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "He won't just let me go." She looked out the window at the tower in the distance then at her kwami. "Will… you come with me? If I do have to go to America?"

"Of course Annamarie." The peacock chuckled, nuzzling into the side of her face. "I told you, you're stuck with me."

After about an hour of sitting around feeling sorry for herself, the doorbell rang and panicked Annamaire quickly ran for her bedroom door and downstairs but was too late as her father had already opened it.

She stood behind him on the stairs, looking over his shoulder at Marinette outside who gave her normal friendly smile, looking at Markus. "Hey there… you must be Annamarie's dad. I'm Marinette, I think we spoke on the phone? Anyway, I just came to check on Annamarie, she didn't come to this afternoon's class and… well I was just worried." She peaked behind the imposing man and nodded. "I have your notes for you."

Annamarie smiled weakly just as her father stepped to the side and looked at her. "Annamarie, what did she say?" He demanded in English.

Stepping to form a triangle, the teenager sighed. "She's from my school, she came to check on me as I missed class and was worried about me."

"You missed class?!"

"Mom told me you were here so…" She stopped talking when her father glare grew.

Markus turned to Marinette and glared at her, enough to cause her to step back nervously. "Annamarie, tell her that she is not allowed to come back here. And that you are moving to America next week."

"No… dad…I…"

"You will do as I command, young lady." He snapped.

Heart pounding, Annamarie stepped closer to her friend, tears in her eyes and changed languages. "Marinette… you're… you're not welcome here anymore. You… you can't come back… ever again."

"Annamarie…" Marinette whispered, reaching out but the other just pushed her back.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, her tears now falling. "I never want to see you again! Just… leave!"

Crying herself, Marinette shook her head. "Annamarie, you… you don't mean that. I know you don't."

"GET LOST MARINETTE!" She screamed before stepping back and slamming the door shut.

Markus huffed at her actions. "I hope you haven't made a habit of slamming doors."

"Are you happy now father? I just sent away the only friend I have ever had."

"You will make new friends in America."

Hands curling into fists, Annamarie stared at him. "I don't want to move! I'm happy here!"

The fury in his eyes was almost tangible as he reached out and grabbed her wrist tight, using it to pull her closer. "You listen to me young lady; I provided you with a roof over your head for all of your life. I put up with your pathetic dancing and foolish games for long enough! So when I say we are moving to America, we are moving and you will be silent and do as you are told!" He released her quickly, pushing her backwards. "Now go to your room and stay there!"

Sobbing, Annamarie turned quickly and ran upstairs, throwing her door open and closed before collapsing on her bed, rubbing her wrist where he'd held her, looking over the skin where it was already beginning to turn yellow, indicating it was going to bruise. She let out a deep breath and turned back to her pillow, screaming and crying herself to sleep.

Marinette looked at the spot beside her with a heart filled with sadness. Annamarie was absent from class again, as she had been all week and any time she went to try and speak to her, her father slammed the door in her face.

She had been tempted to visit her as Ladybug but that too was cut down when Peacock went missing so she and Chat had to work extra hard to fill in for her. It wasn't abnormal, the new Miraculous often missed patrol, stating she had something in her personal life that took a lot of time and often she was too tired to join them at night. But she always apologised and tried to make it up to them when she could.

The others understood and let it go but a whole week? They were beginning to get worried.

As the class began to start and Madam Bustier closed the door, there was a timid knock at it and the class all turned as the light brown haired teenager stepped into the room holding a piece of paper. She didn't make eye contact with anyone and went right up to the teacher. "I… I need you to sign this Madam." She said softly.

"Annamarie, where have you been?" The teacher asked as she looked at the paper and her eyes narrowed. "A transfer form?"

The whole class turned to look at her, a few jaws dropping in amazement of the news.

Chloe smiled as she looked around. "HAHA! She's moving again! Probably realised she’s not welcome here anymore!"

Getting up from her seat, Marinette walked over to her friend and held her hand. "Annamarie?"

She slowly allowed her eyes to rise and Marinette saw how red and sore they looked; like she had been crying and not sleeping for days. Her hand tightened around hers and she felt her flinch so looked down. Her right hand had a sweatband on it but it was pulling away to reveal a nasty black bruise.

Realising it was on show, Annamarie pulled away and covered the mark back up. "Tripped." She mumbled then took the paper and walked out of the classroom.

"Marinette? Do you want something?"

The dark haired girl looked at the teacher then swallowed. "Sorry madam but…"

Madam Bustier nodded with a knowing smile. "You need to go check out a book from the library, yes I know. Take your time."

Glad to have a little understanding, Marinette hurried out of class and after the other teenager as she headed for the school exit. "Annamarie! Wait!"

She stopped and looked back. "Marinette? You… you should be in class."

"Madam let me come speak to you. What's going on? The last time I saw you... your father… and your wrist… where have you been?"

"Packing." She confessed. "I… I'm moving to America on Sunday."

"What? Why?"

"My... my Dad has a new job there."

"But… school… the ballet… the show and… you… I mean… you…" She stepped forward suddenly and grabbed her hands. "Annamarie you can't just go!"

Holding them back, Annamarie found the strength to lift her head. "I don't want to. But… I don't have a choice."

"You have _ _every__ choice."

"You've met my dad… he… he won't listen to me. He gives the orders and I have to do as I'm told."

"Annamarie, you have to stand up for yourself."

"I'm not strong enough."

The dark haired girl gripped her hands even tighter, careful not to hurt her wrists. "Annamarie, I have never met anyone stronger than you. You are more than able to stand up to that man. And… if you don't do something now, you will be miserable for the rest of your life."

Golden eyes looked into hers and she quickly reached out to hug her friend. "I'll miss you Marinette." She whispered into her shoulder before pushing her back. "I've got to go."

"Annamarie…"

But there was no point, the dancer just made her way out of the school and began to walk down the street towards her home, Marinette's words still ringing in her ears. But she knew if she spoke them, they would fall on deaf ones; she had lived with her father's dictatorial ways for long enough to know he would never listen to her.

She opened the front door of her home and instantly stiffed when she heard shouting.

"I don't care what you think! She is my daughter! I know what is best for her!"

"Have you even asked her what she wants?"

"Who _ _cares__ what she wants! Who puts a roof over your head? Who puts bread on the table? Who pays for your stupid ballet? I do!"

"I provide for this family! As I have for the last 4 years! While you were selling fake drugs to sick people!"

"Why you little…!"

The sound of something hitting flesh and her mother's painful gasp shattered Annamarie out of her trance and she ran quickly to the argument, looking at her mother as she rubbed her face and her father stood next to her. He stepped forward, having not seen the girl and grabbed his wife by the wrist before pushing her away and into the wall.

"I looked after you for YEARS and this is the thanks I get!" He bellowed, reaching out to grab her again when suddenly he found himself loosing balance as something pulled him from behind. He turned to see his daughter just before she hurried over to her mother, the older woman instantly pulling her in for a tight hug.

Annamarie could feel her hand on her hair, brushing the bands back as she shook, leaning on her daughter and trying not to cry. Slowly the teen pushed her away, turning to face her father. "Don't you lay a _ _finger__ on my mother again." She hissed at him, not intimidated anymore.

Her father glared at her for a moment then growled. "I am the man of this house and you will do as _ _I__ tell you. I won't be spoken to like that by anyone, let alone by my own daughter."

The teen stepped a little more towards the man. "This is not _ _your__ house. It's _ _ours__. And you are not welcome here anymore."

"Why you ungrateful little..." He snarled, curling his hand into a fist before lashing out for her but Annamarie ducked under his attack and stepped away, getting to the open space of the front room and away from her mother.

Markus turned as she dodged, angry at being denied the strike and went for her again, pushing over anything between him and the girl but Annamarie felt a surge of 'Peacock' filling her personality; giving her the confidence to stand her ground as she faced against him.

Eyes narrow, blinded in fury he swung for her again but she jumped back away from it easily then bent lower down under his blow, jumping forwards and tackling his middle, his own strength and her own sending him into the wall with a painful rush of air.

The paintings on the wall trembled from the collision and Markus gasped, staggering slightly as he forced himself back to his feet, hand on the wall to steady himself then turned to look at his young child yet in doing so felt his pulse double.

She was just stood there, in the middle of the room, not a hair out of place and she looked furious; like a whole other person was stood before him. She slowly lifted her arm and pointed to the door. "Get out and don't you _ _dare__ come back."

Markus stared at her for a moment then took the longest way around the room to the door before stopping and looking back. "This isn't over." He vowed then stepped out.

As the door closed, Annamarie turned to her mom who just gasped and ran over to her, holding her tight. "Oh Annamarie! How did you do that!?"

"No one hurts my mom and gets away with it." She said with a dry chuckle, hugging her with all her might.

"Oh sweetie. I'm sorry. I… I thought we could be a family again but… I should have known he... oh darling I'm so sorry. I should have told you long ago before but…" Estelle leant back and brushed her daughter's face. "I… I filed for divorce while he was in prison… I'm just waiting for the papers and... I'm so sorry... he..."

"Mom, I'm not angry…" She promised nuzzling into her tightly. "And I will do everything to protect you."

Having been sent away from the house by his own ungrateful daughter, Markus Tolrana could only growl in anger and frustration as he walked around Paris aimlessly, until he came across a park and a bench, sitting down on it. "How dare she humiliate me like that. After everything I did for her."

He reached down to his pocket, pulling out a small golden locket, opening it and looking at an image of his wife holding the small bundle of their new born child. He sighed. "When did it go wrong? When did she become…." He growled, closing his hand around the locket. "I just want to protect them. Is that so wrong?" He asked the air.

He didn't know it but someone was listening to his questions as far away, a window opened and a man was illuminated. "A father wishing to protect an ungrateful family?" Hawk Moth summarised. "That is something I can sympathize with. Well then, allow me to play 'happy families'."

The Akuma he set loose was soon absorbed into the locket and a purple butterfly appeared over the Englishman’s eyes.

__Bodyguard, I am Hawk Moth. I will give you the power to protect your family, to keep things the way they were. But in return, you will have to do me a favour, when the time is right.__

"I will keep my family. I will protect them." He promised, putting the locket in his chest pocket and allowed the thick ooze to cover him. When it stopped, gone was the man in sweatshirt and jeans, replaced with a black suit and thick black sunglasses over his eyes, his whole body almost twice as large as it had been and when he took a step, the ground shook below him, marking his approach as he walked towards the Tolrana's apartment.

After having a good hug and a small cry with her mother, Annamarie decided to call her friends and let them know she wasn't leaving after all. They ended up video calling, the two teens pushing and shoving to be in centre frame as they spoke. Alya laughed as she pulled the camera to face her. "You know girl, I'm really glad you're not going after all. I mean, from what Mari told me, your dad's a bit of a… control freak."

"He is." She confessed. "But he's gone now. I'm going to stay with mom for the rest of the day but I'll be back at school on Monday."

"Alright. We'll see you then."

"And if you need us, we are only a call away!"

"Thanks guys. I'll see you…"

She was cut off when the wall of her house suddenly erupted into an explosion of brick and plaster, her mother screaming as the dust cleared and a thick bodied man scooped into the house, his head just touching the roof of the room. He moved his head from side to side and sunglasses covered eyes focused on one and then the other. "Estella Tolrana, come with me."

The other woman backed away even more from him. "What? Who are you?"

"I am Bodyguard. Now, do as I said and come with me."

"Stay away from my mother!" Annamarie shouted, hurrying over to get between the two.

Even with the glasses covering his eyes, she could still see Bodyguard frown. "Little girl. You are in no position to order me around. Not anymore. You will do as I say and you will be _ _silent__ about it."

The tone he spoke to her with… she knew it very well. As did her mother. "Markus?" Estella asked, holding her daughter's arm tight. "Markus, is that you?"

"No. I am Bodyguard. And if you will not obey me willingly, I will have to make you."

He reached out to grab them but Annamarie was already moving, running around the hulk of a man and out the house by the front door. She could hear him growl and try to follow them, his steps causing the ground to shake but the two women were just a little faster as they ran down the road and away from the house. But as she did, Annamarie realised something with horror.

Froufrou was in her room.

She couldn't transform until she had him back. But now was not the time to think about that. She had to get her mother to safety. The footsteps were louder, Bodyguard was closing in on them but Annamarie spotted a narrow alley and turned to go down it. With his massive size, there was no way the Akuma could follow her so they ran to the other side then down to the next street, taking as many turns as they could.

Her mother was panting for breath behind her, not as used to cross city sprints as Annamarie was so she stopped, giving her a chance to catch her breath while the teen checked the area. She needed somewhere to take cover in. As she took stock of where she was, she realised there was a familiar bakery just down the road. "Come on, I know somewhere we can hide." They began to run once more, sprinting into the store and surprising the two Dupain-Chengs inside.

"Annamarie?" Sabrina gasped as she tended the till. "Dear girl, what's going on?"

Annamarie was about to speak when she felt the ground shake below her and looked out the window just in time to see her father rounding the corner.

Pushing her mother down under the window display, they stayed crouched down as the footsteps approached the store, her heart pounding in her ears, watching as the bakers stood in horror, looking outside at the Bodyguard, his shadow blocking out all of the light.

Estella gave a whimper but the teen covered her mouth, watching the shadow. They waited, baited breath, for a long minute before it finally moved away, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance. Annamarie let out a long deep sigh as she stood carefully and peaked outside. “No sign of him.” Standing, she looked at Marinette's parents and nodded. "Please, keep my mom safe. I have to go and draw him away from here."

"No!" Estella shouted, standing up on shaky legs. "You can't. Stay here."

"She's right, Annamarie." Tom said, walking over. "You can't go out there. It's not safe."

"He's after me." She told them all. "I'm the one who disobeyed him and he won't stop until he finds me. I can't guarantee he won't come back this way and I won't put you in danger." She opened the bakery door and looked around again and luckily there was no sign of the Akuma. "I'll come back when this is all finished, don't worry. I'll be fine."

And with that, she began running once again, trying to get back home. She spotted Chat Noir and Ladybug heading in the other direction, clearly going after the Akuma but that just made Annamarie run faster. She had to join them. She had to be there when they took on her father.

The damage done to the apartment had drawn quite a lot of attention but the teen just hurried past the gawking crowds and up to her room, looking at Froufrou as he folded his arms and glared at her. "What did I tell you about going places without me?"

Annamarie rolled her eyes and touched her hair slide. "Froufrou, Feathers up!"

Chat yelped as he leapt away from the fight. "Woah, this guy is strong!"

Ladybug nodded before she too jumped away from Bodyguard's next attack, his fists slamming into the spot she had occupied a few seconds before. "Any ideas on the akumatised item?"

"I could look if this guy would let me stand still for a moment!"

As they backed off again, something blue flew overhead before collapsing down on the Akuma’s back, sending him face first into the ground, Peacock standing firmly on his back. The others smiled at her but then Bodyguard began to move, pushing the hero off and to the ground, turning to face her. _ _"You costumed freaks. How dare you attack me!"__

Ladybug frowned as he spoke. "Any idea what he just said? I don't speak English."

"He called us freaks." Peacock translated as she stared at the Akuma before opening her fan and charging forwards, ducking and diving around Bodyguard as he tried to pulverise her. She avoided each blow and even tried to get a few of her own in but they barely made Bodyguard flinch.

At the back, Chat and Ladybug watched in amazement. "I've never seen Pea so fired up." Ladybug gasped as she watched the fight.

"She's going to get herself hurt again." Chat said before charging forwards, tackling his alley down before Bodyguard could punch her, stepping in to engage him, staff up and blocking his blow. "Leave her alone you big bully!"

Bodyguard narrowed his eyes before pulling his fist back, aiming for the cat but just then the wire of the yo-yo wrapped around it, stopping the attack. At that moment, Peacock charged in and jumped into the air, her foot coming up as she kicked the underside of his chin, the black sunglasses sent flying in her strike and for a moment she was eye to eye with her father.

__"Why you flying twit!"__ He snarled, grabbing her with his other hand as she landed, squeezing her tight.

"Peacock!" Ladybug and Chat called as she was caught. Ladybug glared at him as she span her weapon. "Let her go!"

"Stay back!" Peacock shouted as she struggled in the massive grip. "This... this is my fight!" She said as her hand slipped over the button on her fan, tripling its size.

Bodyguard couldn't hold the glider and hero and soon both of them were flying up into the air, coming down to land just next to her partners, panting hard as she did. "I... I got this." She panted before stepping forwards as Bodyguard came at them again.

Chat frowned before grabbing her arm and lifted her up over his shoulder, jumping up into the air and up to a rooftop then dropped her down with a thud. The bird looked at him with clear irritation. "Chat, what are you playing at? The Akuma is..."

"Peacock, stop!" He snapped, staring her straight in the eye. "Look, I don't know what is going on with you but you need to chill!"

"I'm fine." She lied. "We need to get back into the fight."

He pointed behind him, eyes still locked on the blue's. "You go down there and it will be another Volpina!"

She went stiff at the reminder. "It won't."

"Then stay up here until you have calmed down. We can't be watching for you and watching the Akuma!" He glared at her a bit more. "So get your head out of the sky and in the game Feathers!"

She glared at him but couldn't help but smile at the stupid joke. "Alright." She said, her whole body relaxing. "I'll calm down."

"Good. Now come on." He turned, ready to jump back down to the fight, where the Akuma was charging at Ladybug but the red hero suddenly jumped over him like a bull fighter, sending Bodyguard crashing into a wall.

Zip wiring up to her partners, the dark haired teen looked at the others. "Sorted?"

"For now." Chat answered, glancing at Peacock, noting the tension in her body was rising again. "We need to end this quickly. Any ideas on where the Akuma might be?"

"It's the locket." Peacock said, watching as Bodyguard stood back up and shook himself free of the rubble, looking up at them before going to get his glasses from the floor and march towards them. "I'll get it..."

"No." Their leader said, grabbing her arm. "We do this together."

"But how when we can't get close?" Chat asked.

"Lets hope this helps." Ladybug said, pulling out her yo-yo threw it up into the air, calling on her power.

Into her hands fell a long thin umbrella with a red and black spot pattern to it and a black hook at the end. The trio looked at it then at each other. "Well... at least its not raining cats and dogs." Chat joked.

Peacock glared at him but then gasped when the rooftop they were standing on began to shake, looking over the edge to see Bodyguard was climbing up towards them. "We don't have time to think of a plan." She said. "We need to stop him. Now!"

"Any ideas?"

Ladybug looked around, hoping her power would kick in soon but all it highlighted was the umbrella and a metal fence surrounding a park across from them. She bit her lip until a plan came to mind. "I have a plan. Get him down to that fence!"

"On it LB!" Chat said, jumping into action, Peacock a step behind him. Once on the ground, Chat charged towards Bodyguard, calling on his cataclysm while running, using it on the stack of boxes the Akuma had been using to climb up the building. He ended up falling flat on his back and cursing in English then got back up and went after the heroes.

Ladybug was still up on the roof, lucky charm in hand, watching as her friend's backed off towards the gate and Bodyguard stalked closer.

Just as he towered over them, hands reaching out to grab them, she made her move and jumped down, swinging the hook of the umbrella under the collar of his suit jacket. Then, she pulled sharply and thrust the umbrella through the narrow railings, pressing the self-open control.

The canopy opened on the other side and when Bodyguard tried to pull himself forwards to get to the heroes again, the umbrella held him back so he slid out of his jacket, abandoning it in favour for a chance at the heroes. As Chat once more tripped over the Akuma, Ladybug snatched up the locket from the top pocket and smashed it on the ground, the black butterfly soon flying up into the air.

As the others watched as it was purified and the umbrella thrown into the air, they came together for their traditional three way fist pump. "Pound it!" The three chuckled in victory before turning to the man knelt on the ground, rubbing his head.

Peacock took a deep breath then looked at the others. "You guys can go. I want to talk to him alone."

"Are you sure, Feathers?" Chat asked as he looked at her. "You seem... distracted."

"I'm alright now." She said. "Just... I need to talk to him."

Looking at her, there was a slight recognition between how she was acting and the way Adrian had felt when Simons Says had attacked his father. Something about this Akuma was personal. "Alright." He sighed. "See you later." He gave her a smile and a wink before vaulting away, Ladybug following behind him.

Once they were gone, the blue hero slowly walked over to the man. "Mr Tolrana?" She asked calmly.

He looked at her and frowned. "Go away." He snapped in English. "I don't want your pity, you costumed freak."

"Well, this freak just saved you from Hawk Moth's control." She replied in the same language, with a half amused smile, watching as he blinked in amazement. "Yes, I can speak English. Look, Mr Tolrana, I know you want to protect your family, as any father would. I understand that." She turned her gaze to the side, kneeling and picking up the locket, restored by the magical ladybugs. Opening it, she looked at her own image and smiled before reaching for her father's hand, placing it in the palm. "You did an amazing job raising her, protecting and supporting them both. You gave your daughter everything she could need to start her life. But now, you need to give her something else."

"What? What more could I give her?" Markus huffed. "I give her everything!"

"You need to give her room. Room to grow and become who she is. You may have started her on the right path for her life but now she needs to continue on her own. She's not the little girl you think she is. She's so much more."

He looked up at the masked teen and stared into her gilded honey eyes and found himself frowning. There was something… _ _familiar_ _ about them.

Before he could comment, a loud bleep filled the air and Peacock touched her head. "I've got to go." She explained. "You should go talk to your family."

With that, she opened up her fan to its glider setting and took off to the air, flying all the way back to her home, the damage repaired by the miraculous. She landed in her room and let her transformation go, catching an exhausted Frou and placed him on the side, on his pillow. "You get your strength back Frou, I need to get my mom."

"If you insist." He cooed, already curled up.

With a smile, she left the room and ran down stairs as the door opened and her mom came running in. The two instantly embraced and Annamarie whispered her apologies for running off but as she was asked where she had gone, there was a knock at the door.

Tense, the teen opened it a fraction and looked to see her father. She kept her foot behind the door, in case he tried to push his way in but Markus just ran a hand back in his hair. "Can… can I come in?" He asked, almost embarrassed.

Glancing at her mother, who nodded, his daughter opened the door and allowed him inside. He stood on the other side of the door but didn't take another step further into the apartment. They stood in silence for a bit before he sighed. "Look, I… I came to say… I'm sorry about the whole… Bodyguard thing. That guy, Hawk Moth, he… he got to me. He told me he'd help me protect you but… I didn't realise you don't need my protection." He glanced up, eyes locking on his girl. She looked tense, as if ready for another fight but he just smiled softly. "You've really grown, Annamarie."

She relaxed and nodded slightly. "Yeah. I have."

"You like it here? In Paris?"

"It's where I belong dad."

His eyes turned to his wife. "And… you can provide for her? Keep her safe?"

"Yes Markus."

He sighed and looked to the floor. "Well then…" He said, reaching under his jacket and pulling something out. Annamarie flinched, expecting some kind of weapon but her father just pulled out a plain brown envelope and passed it to Estella Tolrana. "Guess you will need these. They are all signed."

Her mother took the envelope and opened it, pulling out the first page. "The divorce papers."

"You don't need me anymore." He said firmly. "And… you need room to become your own person." The teen smiled, glad he'd taken what Peacock had said seriously. He smiled back. "But… I'll always be your dad, Annamarie. If you ever need me, let me know, alright?"

"Yes dad."

"Alright. Well, I better go and get myself packed. I'm flying to America tomorrow." He gave a light chuckle. "Who knows, maybe I'll meet some Hollywood model!"

The other women laughed before coming together for a hug, Markus making sure to holding his daughter extra tight as he whispered 'I love you' in her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God dam it! Did it again! Sorry AO3!


	18. Chapter 18 - Sweet Nightmares

Annamarie bit her lip, looking down to the next row where Adrian was sat, frowning at him. Now that she had managed to apologise to Marinette and Alya, and after they had come to help her with her father, she'd decided she needed to make amends with the others she had hurt. Adrian was top of her list but so far she had not gotten a chance or the confidence to talk to him.

As she jotted down the notes on the class subject, a small scrap of paper appeared just to the side of her.

__What's up?__

She glanced to her left where Marinette was sat with a confused look before grabbing the paper and scribbling on it. _ _I need to apologise to Adrian. Just don't know how.__

Carefully she passed it back and watched the other read it and smile, quickly writing and moved it over. _ _I'll help you.__

"Marinette, Annamarie, if I see you passing notes once more, I will send you straight to the principle."

Screwing it up and stuffing it into a pocket, both girls blushed. "Yes madam!" They said together and sniggering to everyone laughing at them being caught.

When the class was finally over, Marinette and Alya took her to the side as they watched Adrian walk past them, smiling at them but his grin skipped Annamarie. Once he was talking to Nino, Marinette reached out and touched the other's shoulder to offer as much comfort as she could to her newly reformed friend. "Look, you want to apologise. And that’s a great thing. But even if he doesn't accept it… and I doubt he won’t… you need to try, for your own good."

She lowered her head and looked away. "I… I'm just scared."

"Girl, you have nothing to be scared of." Alya sighed. "Adrian's a big softy."

"After the things I said to him… he must hate me and I can't blame him."

Marinette sighed. "Look, Annamarie, we've been friends for… a few weeks now? You can't keep ignoring him and now is as good a time as ever. You know you have to do it eventually."

The brunette sighed, knowing it was true. She plucked as much courage as she could and walked over to the young blonde model as he stood talking to his best friend. She took a deep breath behind him and spoke his name, her voice a whisper but the boy heard and turned.

There was a look in his eyes that showed his grudge was still as strong as ever and she almost backed down. Lowering her gaze, she let out a deep breath. "Adrian. I… I wanted to… to apologise for what I said a few weeks ago. I… I never should have spoken to you the way I did. I'm sorry."

He glared at her then shrugged. "Then why did you?"

Annamarie looked at his feet and let out a deep breath. "Look… I know it sounds strange… but you and I are quite alike. My mom is kinda like your dad; well-known, rich and influential. Not as much as yours, I admit but enough so that when someone says the name ‘Tolrana’ they know who we are.” She shrugged. “And… kinda like you, people know who I am. But that’s where the similarities end. Because… back in England… everyone _ _hated__ me. They would tease me, call me a snob and… say how I shouldn't be there, that I wasn’t normal like them. Not just at school but at the ballet as well! I was seen as the girl with all the lucky breaks. No one ever wanted to be near me. I was miserable, I hate my life and… and at one point I came so close to… to just jumping in the river and ending it all.”

His eyes widened a little at her words but then frowned again. “That doesn’t explain why.”

“I know. You see, when I came to Paris and I heard about you I thought ‘yes, finally someone else who knows what it’s like to be me. Someone who knows what it’s like to be alone because of family and fame’.” Her gaze lifted to meet his. “But it wasn’t. Everyone loves you and wants to be your friend. They… they flock to you and… coo for your attention, they welcome you and… I hated it. I mean what made you so different to me? Why did everyone hate me and love you when… in so many ways you and I are the same." She let out a deep sigh, reaching up and wiping her eyes. “I wondered… maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m just… not meant to have friends.”

“Annamarie…”

“But… when I lashed out… it was without thinking. All those things I said to you… they were aimed at myself. I was so… angry at you for being loved and… me for being hated. But… I'm making excuses now. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and I didn't mean any of it. But more than that… I… I wanted to ask you to please don’t… don’t ruin your friendship with Alya and Marinette because they are friends with me. I don’t want to wreck that. I would rather give up being friends with them than spoil the bond you have already. Please?”

They stared at each other for a moment, Adrian unable to bring words to his mouth and Annamarie waiting for his response.

When nothing happened, she decided to turn away from him and sighed. "Well, thanks for listening to me at least. Take care of yourself." She turned to walk back to Marinette and Alya.

"Annamarie."

She stopped and looked back, worried he was going to get back at her.

The model smiled and walked over to her, holding her shoulder. "Maybe we can catch a movie sometime? _ _All__ of us together?"

A faint blush on her face, the ballet dancer nodded back while Marinette stared dreamily at them before they were interrupted by the honked horn of Adrian's chauffeur waiting outside.

"Sorry guys, photo shoot, got to go." He explained with a wave.

"Byee." Marinette sighed dreamily as Adrian walked away, oblivious of the delight his presence had caused. As Nino also went on his way, Alya and Annamarie grinned at each other while their friend gave another love stuck sigh.

"You know…." Annamarie said as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder and they headed down the road. "I'm a little jealous of you Marinette."

"Jealous? Of what?" She said, snapped out of her dream.

"Your crush on Adrian." The dancer confessed. "Must be nice to have someone to… dream over like that."

The two frowned at her. "But…" Alya said. "You're the one with a boyfriend?"

This time, the other frowned. "What?"

"The first day at school? You were showing Chloe his picture?"

Pulling out her phone, Annamarie loaded the picture in questions. "You mean Tomas?" She asked, showing it.

"Yeah, isn't he your boyfriend?"

She gulped hard. "Umm… no. He's my… my cousin. I just… lied… about him being my boyfriend to make me look… cooler."

After a moment of silence, Alya laughed. "Oh thank goodness! I thought I'd lost my touch! So you're as single as the rest of us."

Annamarie frowned at her as they stood at the crossroad. "Gee, and you wonder _why_ I it a secret."

"Well, maybe now we can fix you up with someone." The reporter chuckled as she scanned the area.

"Yeah right. Give it a break Alya, I'm not even interested. Besides, who'd want to date someone like me?" She gave them a smile. "Come on, let's go to the park."

(LINE)

"So, for this project, you will be working in pairs and for once, I will allow you to pick your pairs."

They were perhaps the best words Madam Bustier could have said as everyone suddenly looked at their best friends, silently agreeing to work together. Everyone that was, apart from Annamarie who just lowered her head, sinking down within herself.

When Marinette saw she quickly put her hand up into the air. "Madam! Can Annamarie work with Alya and me? Since the class is an odd number?"

Annamarie looked up in amazement at the offer, even more when the teacher approved it, so she smiled and nodded to her new found partners. "Thank you."

"We're friends now." Alya said as she sat back and began to take on the class subject. "And friends help each other out."

They didn't say much more until the end of the lesson when they began to pack their things away. The dark haired girl smiled at the two of them. "So… what are we going to do for our project?"

"No idea. But we have the whole weekend so why don't we meet at my place and plan?"

Marinette frowned. "With your family? We'll never get any work done. And mine place isn’t big enough for the three of us to work."

The third girl bit her lip then shrugged casually. "Well… what about my place? We have a spare room and… it's not far from here."

"That's perfect! Hey, since we only have this weekend, why don't we have a sleepover? A real girl's night!" Alya laughed as they packed up their belongings.

Annamarie's head had spun at the idea of having people over for a visit; having them stay over for the night had her gulping in fear at the idea but it slowly sank in. "I… I'd have to check with my mom." She said though internally she was wondering if she should allow them to come over at all; she normally snuck out at night to patrol with Chat Noir and Ladybug but surely they wouldn't miss her for one night as long as nothing happened.

"Sure, I understand that." Alya continued. "But we can stay up late, trade stories, have lots of junk food. Do each other's hair and makeup!"

Marinette laughed freely. "We haven't had a sleep over in ages Alya, last one was not long after you joined the class!"

"Yeah!" She replied then caught a glimpse of Annamarie's face. "Come on Annamarie! You look like you've never had a sleepover before!"

The brunette turned her head away quickly to hide her stunned and slightly embarrassed face.

Alya froze. "Oh."

"Back in England, I never had anyone want to spend time with me. And even if they did, I couldn't let anyone come to my home… not with my dad. I... I wasn't sure how to tell you."

Alya and Marinette traded a concerned look before Alya grabbed her from behind in a hug. "Well then you my friend are in luck because I happen to be an _ _expert_ _ in all things sleepover! I will make sure this will be a night you will never forget!"

With a shy smile, Annamarie nodded. "Thanks."

(LINE)

Estella was more than happy to allow her daughter the sleepover, glad that she finally had someone to have over and be a normal teenager around. So the next afternoon, Annamarie made sure she was the one to open the front door to her friends, each of them carrying a small suitcase and a sleeping bag. Once they had been introduced to her mother and showed around, they went upstairs to the spare room to set up their sleeping bags before going into Annamarie's bedroom to start work on their project for school.

They spent a few hours on what they were meant to be doing but then work gave way to play and they pulled out snacks from Marinette's family's bakery and games and music and conversation just flowed and the English girl could not believe how much fun she was having. As Marinette painted her nails a beautiful peacock blue, Alya was being nosy and wandered the room before picking up a picture on her desk. "Hey, who's this? Your sister?"

Looking, the owner shook her head. "No. That's a friend of the family. We took that photo when she took me to see the Royal Ballet in London for my 14th birthday."

"She's beautiful." Alya confessed as she showed it to Marinette.

Marinette stopped in her work as she looked at the picture, an odd sinking feeling that she had seen that woman somewhere before. Her thoughts were interrupted by something falling on the other side of the room, all three girls jumping at the sudden noise then laughed, Alya putting the picture down to see what had been knocked over.

"Whoa, this is heavy." Alya chuckled, looking over the cover. "_ _Memories__?"

"More of a scrap book. It’s always falling over. My mom collected clippings from every ballet I have ever been in. Have a look if you want."

Not needing to be told twice, Alya opened the book and began skimming the content; most of it was in English but she knew enough to get by. It was the photos that caught her attention the most anyway, stopping on a large full page one. "Oh Annamarie, is this you? You look so beautiful!"

The dancer smiled. "My first role as Prima in my old company. I was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. I loved that role."

"Wish we could have seen you." Marinette confessed as she looked at the image, Annamarie in a frilly pink dress and standing on the tips of her toes.

The dancer paused then bit her lip before she spoke. "Well… why don't you come to the show?" She asked bashfully. "I… I've been given some tickets for opening night here in Paris and… well, my mom's going since it's always the best day to go, with everyone in formal dresses and the big reception afterwards… I mean… I'd understand if you didn't want to but…"

"We'd love to!" Both girls chorused instantly.

"Can you think of anyone else who’d like a ticket?" Marinette asked as they all giggled.

Alya smirked. "How about Nino and Adrian? They might like it."

Marinette blushed at the idea while Annamarie frowned a little. "I don't know Alya, they don't strike me as the ballet kind."

"Can't hurt to ask them? It could be like a double date!" Marinette almost spontaneously combusted at the idea while the others laughed at her. With a chuckle, Alya put the book away and yawned before spotting the clock. "Wow, we should get some sleep. We're going to be busy tomorrow."

Agreed, the three girls headed into the bathroom, getting ready for bed, washing their faces or combing their hair and doing their teeth, Alya unable to stop her jaw from dropping when Annamarie let her hair down from its bun, the pale brown hair reaching down to her shoulders and bouncing from being held up for so long. "Hey, Annamarie, you really should let your hair down more often, suits you."

The dancer blushed then went on to brush her hair. “It… it’s not really my thing. I like my hair tied up.”

“Well, just saying, your hair is really cute.”

The subject soon dropped and once they were done they moved to the other room and climbed into their sleeping bags before going on to tell ghost stories. Annamarie soon fell asleep, too tired to stay awake and talk, not being used to staying up past 2am without the thrill of patrol to keep her going. Marinette soon followed and without someone to talk to, Alya drifted off as well.

But after a bit, Marinette's subconscious mind began reeling over the idea of going to the ballet with Adrian, already planning the dress she would make for the event, dreaming about making a grand entrance, paparazzi all around them, taking photos of her, trying to get her attention while hers was only for the dashing blonde at the door. He took her hand and smiled as they went inside.

In her dream he was kind and sweet as ever but his attention was totally on her and for once she wasn't stumbling over her words and could speak normally around him, making him laugh at her jokes and hold full conversations.

Alya meanwhile was dreaming that she had her own talk show and that her three favourite stars had come to see her and were giving her an interview for the camera, telling her personal stories and answering every question she asked them.

The only one of them not having a pleasant night's sleep was Annamarie whose dreams were of herself on stage, opening night and she could see her friends watching her. But as she danced, she lost her balance, falling flat on her face. It wasn't the first time or the last as her every move was faulted, unable to stand or balance or do anything. And worse, she could hear them laughing.

Slowly, she forced her way out of the dream and her eyes opened, sitting up in her sleeping bag and looking at the others, still asleep around her. Carefully walked over to the window and pushed it open a crack, letting the cool air brush against her hair. She scanned the roof tops from her view point, looking for Chat Noir or Ladybug, wondering if they were missing her. Froufrou was hiding the night out in her room, set up on top of the wardrobe with a bunch of grapes and a feather pillow. Alone, she just sat in the window and looked up at the stars.

Stage fright wasn't new to her, nor was it to any dancer but normally she could get over it by remembering they were _ _just__ talent scouts or _ _just__ reviewers or _just_ people and she would never speak to them again after the show. But this time was different. They _ _weren't__ just people. They were her friends. Coming to see her dance. If she messed up, they would see her over and over again, a constant reminder.

Part of her knew, even if she did mess up, Marinette and Alya would never tease her over it but it was still a deep dreaded fear. But, the show didn't open for a few more weeks, she had time to come to grips with the concept. Turning away from the window, she let out a deep breath and went back to the sleeping bag, unaware of a small line of dark black sand trickling in from the window and hovering over all of their faces and in their eyes.

Back in her dream, Alya turned to face Chat, Ladybug and Peacock, camera crew following her every move as she beamed at the trio. "So, Ladybug, let's talk about your opinion of…"

She stopped speaking when Ladybug gave a large dramatic yawn. "Are you done yet?" She asked flatly.

"S… sorry?"

"Are. You. Done. Yet?" She repeated slower. "I mean, we don't want to waste any more time with you than we have to."

Alya blinked. "But I thought you…

"You thought we _ _wanted_ _ to be here?" Royal Peacock finished, playing with her fan. "That we want to waste our time with an amateur like you?" She laughed coldly. "We are Paris's famous heroes. We are _ _adored__ by thousands."

"So why should we waste our time with small fry like you?" Chat asked as he stood from his chair, glaring at the young teenager. "And if I'm honest, I'm in-fur-iated by you."

"Always needing saving." Peacock added, snapping her fan shut.

"Always poking your nose in." Ladybug sighed.

"Always in the way." Chat finished, stepping forward. "So perhaps we should just…" he flexed his claws. "_ _Dispose__ of you and save ourselves some trouble."

Alya gasped, dropping the microphone and ran as her heroes chased her.

Marinette wasn't doing much better, her date with Adrian taking an unexpected turn when Chloe turned up and proceeded to endlessly flirt with the boy and unlike normal, where Adrian would get out, he stayed and accepted her attention. He spoke to her with a smile, all but ignoring Marinette until he stepped back and bumped into her.

Bad luck cursed her as she fell forward to the ground, knocking over a waiter in the process and ended up covering herself in horderves as she knelt on the floor. Adrian turned, as did everyone else, and laughed and pointed at her, calling her a klutz. Adrian actually stepped over, looking down at her. "Oh Marinette, what on earth made you think I would ever want to go out with someone like you?"

But the worst of the three was Annamarie, believing she was back in England, having never left for France, never become Peacock, being chased down by her bullies and coming home to find her father was waiting for her. Worst part was, she couldn't wake up. Not until dawn.

When morning finally did break, all of them were exhausted from the night terrors, none of them as well rested as they had hoped. "Morning." One said groggily.

"Mmmm?" Marinette mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"What a night." Alya yawned, stretching out. "Come on, let’s get some breakfast and get back to work."

(LINE)

A few nights later, Royal Peacock couldn't help but yawn, covering her mouth as she did and tried to fight off the exhaustion. The nightmares were still coming every time she tried to sleep, unable to get over them no matter how hard she tried.

"You look how I feel Feathers."

She looked over at the familiar voice to see Chat walking over, staff over his shoulder but his eyes showed a massive amount of fatigue. "I had a bad night sleep." She confessed, trying not to yawn again. "Bad _ _nights__ sleep, actually."

"Me too." He said, crouching at her side and stretching out with a cat like yawn.

They sat in silence for a moment before hearing the wire of a yo-yo as the last of their group joined them. She also yawned as she landed. "Sorry." She apologised, from behind her hand. "I didn't sleep well last night. I had this awful…"

"Nightmare." All three of them said at once before looking between them as a loud penny dropped.

Chat frowned, breaking the silence. "This can't be a coincidence."

"All three of us having nightmares at the same time? I doubt it."

"You think we are being targeted?"

"I don't think so. I can think of at least 4 other people who have had nightmares the last few days."

"An Akuma then?" Chat guessed. "One that can enter dreams?"

"Hawk Moth is upping his game if it is." Ladybug said with a frown, her thinking face clear. "But how are we going to stop something that is attacking us in our dreams?"

Peacock was quite as the two of them began batting ideas around, looking at her fan. "We enter a dream." She said at last.

"What? How?"

"A dream is just an illusion the body creates." She explained logically. "And I have the power over illusions… so in theory, I can put two illusions together and send you into a dream, allowing you to defeat the Akuma."

Ladybug frowned. "You can do that?"

"I'm not sure. But I have noticed my illusions are getting stronger and I have more control over them the last few weeks. I reckon I can do it."

They stood in silence for a bit before Chat shrugged. "Guess it can't hurt to try."

"Actually… there are a few problems." Peacock said, shyly. "I mean, if the sleeper wakes up then the world would be destroyed and you would be lost. And the other problem is that I won't be able to join you. I have to stay in this world to make sure I can pull you out."

Ladybug thought over the option for a moment then nodded before it turned into yet another yawn. "We don't have much choice but to take the risk, if this Akuma continues, Hawk Moth will be able to walk up to us and take our miraculous and we will be too tired to fight him off."

Chat didn't look pleased but also nodded. "What do you need Feathers?"

"I need a dream to send you into. Someone we know is being targeted."

The trio paused, thinking. All three of them knew victims but didn't know how to tell the others without risking their identities. It was Chat that snapped his fingers. "Alya!"

"Alya?"

"The girl who runs the Ladyblog?"

"Yeah!" He said with a nod. "Didn't you see her recent video? She looked exhausted. I bet my tail she's been targeted."

Both Ladybug and Peacock nodded in agreement but Peacock then quirked a brow. "You watch the Ladyblog that much?"

"I like to make sure they put me in the right light." He winked. "And anything to get a glimpse of my lady."

Ladybug rolled her eyes and pushed him away as he tried to 'cuddle' close. "Easy kitty. But you are right about Alya."

"Always am my lady."

"The problem will be getting her to sleep if we are around."

"We don't tell her." Peacock explained. "We need her to be unaware her dream is being intruded or she might resist us entering or this Akuma might not come if he knows."

Ladybug nodded. "Then we better hurry. This Akuma needs to be stopped before the whole of Paris goes without sleep."

"Yeah. I don't look anywhere near amazing with only half cat naps!"

The two woman rolled their eyes at him but then Peacock took a deep breath and nodded. "I just hope this works." She said before heading towards Alya's home.

They stood on the roof, Chat hanging upside down to look in via the window. "She's asleep."

"I feel so bad about sneaking into her room." Ladybug confessed as the cat opened up a window and slid inside.

Peacock soon followed, looking over the sleeping teenager as she lay on her back, her face twisting with discomfort. She looked at the others. "She's having a nightmare."

"Never thought I'd say this but… good."

The blue miraculous looked at the girl then at a nearby clock just as it turned over to 11:00. "I'll send you in for 10 minutes. Any longer and you risk waking her and being lost forever. Once I open the gap back, you have to leave." She opened her fan once more and stared at her friends. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We can't leave Paris in danger." Ladybug said, taking a deep breath. "Just do it Pea."

She nodded and lifted the item above her head but then paused. "Umm… I know you're not going to like this but… you might want to hold his hand Ladybug. Just to make sure you end up in the same place."

Chat grinned at the idea and held out his hand with a wiggle of his eye brow. Ladybug frowned but took his hand anyway as Peacock lifted her fan. "Feather illusion!" She said as quietly as she could, waving the fan over the pair as the blue glow consumed them before they faded away and the light washed over Alya.

Lowering her fan, Peacock looked at the clock as it clicked over the next minute. However, she barely had a second before a loud urgent bleep came from her ear and with a blue light of her own, she was transformed back into Annamarie. She blinked in amazement but then gasped, reaching out to catch Froufrou as he collapsed towards Alya's sleeping body, catching him just above her head. Holding the kwami close, she headed for the still open window and slipped outside to a fire escape, crouching down. "Froufrou, what happened?"

"You used too much power Annamarie. I'm amazed you could channel that much energy but I'm exhausted from it."

"Will you be able to change me back? I have 9 minutes before I have to get Ladybug and Chat Noir out of the dream world."

Froufrou shook his head. "I don't know. Only you can decide that. But before you can even try, I need to get my strength back."

"Then I have 9 minutes to work out how to get out of here and find some grapes for you and get back to save my friends. At 11 o'clock at night." She panicked for a moment before taking a deep breath and heading out on her mission.

(LINE)

An odd, dead legged tingling sensation consumed both Chat Noir and Ladybug as they entered the dream world, their vision consumed by blue light that slowly faded away until they could see once more. They were in a TV studio, four bright red chairs before them and cameras were pointed at them while the words 'Ladyblog Live' shone in bright words above them.

Ladybug chuckled lightly as she pulled her hand free of Chat's. "Famous TV journalist, should have known."

"Yeah but where's our…"

"AHHH!"

"Host." Chat finished, already running towards the cause of the scream.

Alya was backed into a corner of the studio, hands reaching out as she tried to keep Ladybug, Chat Noir and Royal Peacock away from her. "No! Leave me alone!"

"Ah, but I thought you wanted to see our power." Peacock chuckled, lifting her fan above her head, already glowing.

Suddenly a yo-yo string wrapped around her wrist, pulling back and all three of them turned to see what had happened as Ladybug held the wire tight to restrain her. "Peacock, what are you doing?" She shouted before realising the one before her was a fake. This was a dream and the real one was awake.

The others all grinned, turning to face the two, ignoring Alya. "Ladybug and Chat Noir?" ‘_ _Ladybug’__ said questioningly. "What an unexpected delight."

The real ones stood at a standoff, Alya behind the fakes just trembling in fear while the three slowly began to lose their colour, becoming a golden sandy before Peacock and Chat just collapsed and pooled into Ladybug… who then morphed into a young boy, his whole body made up of blonde sand. "I wasn't expecting to find you so easily." He said, his voice drifting from Ladybug to his own. "How do you feel now that you're face to face with Sweet Nightmare?"

Chat frowned and looked down at his staff. "8 minutes." He commented lowly.

"Let's hurry."

(LINE)

In the waking world, Annamarie was running as fast as she could down the road, following her phone's directions to a 24 hour grocery store. As she did, she glanced at the time. "8 minutes." She panted then put on some extra speed, skidding into the store and startling the poor shopkeeper as a teenager grabbed a punnet of grapes and headed to him.

He quirked a brow at her curiously.

"Sister." She explained, panting for breath at his expression. "Pregnancy cravings."

The man chuckled at her and ran the item in the till. "€2.40."

Luckily, Annamarie had some change in her bag and the man let her off with the €2.20 she had, soon running back towards Alya's, stopping just under the fire escape. "Eat up Frou. We have to hurry."

The little kwami looked at the red grapes in her hands and frowned. "You are joking, right?"

"They were the only ones they had. Now, stop being so picky and eat. If we don't hurry Chat Noir and Ladybug will be lost forever. And I really don't like the idea of protecting Paris alone."

Froufrou glared at her and went on to eat. "Fine, but I expect some of those super expensive luxury white grapes when this is over."

"I'll buy you a whole _ _vineyard__ if you just eat." Annamarie snapped, looking at the time. "We have 3 minutes left." Terror flooded her suddenly and she leant on the wall. "Oh god… what have I done? I'll never forgive myself if I can't get them out."

(LINE)

While Annamarie was off trying to find the grapes required to return to her miraculous form, Ladybug and Chat Noir were inside the dream fighting Sweet Nightmare but no matter how hard they tried, none of their attacks did anything. Sweet Nightmare had finally revealed his true form, dressed in blue striped pyjamas with a matching night cap while in his hands was the akumatised item; a small teddy bear that he held tightly to his chest. The problem was, with a wave of his hand, he could create monsters out of the golden sand his body was made up from. Currently he'd created a creepy clown complete with mallet, a freakishly large hairy spider and broken faced china doll with her arms stretched out.

The heroes were trying to take them down but each attack just made them dissolve into dust before reforming as if nothing had happened. Chat jumped away from the clown with his massive hammer and turned towards his spotted partner. "LB! We need to try something else! This is not working!" Chat called as he watched her fight off the giant spider.

"I know! I'm thinking! But it's as if he has total control over the..." Ladybug froze, looking between Chat, Sweet Nightmare and her spider, eyes wide as she finished, "...dream." Quickly connecting the dots, she came up with a plan, kicking the spider's legs out from under it and running over to Chat, kicking, punching and dodging blows with her yo-yo.

When she finally reached him she pressed her back to his as they fought off the monsters. "How long do we have?"

"Just... just over a minute," he replied as he kicked the clown back, turning it to sand but it was already reforming. "Please tell me you have a plan, and a good one at that! This clown isn't joking around."

She ignored the pun and fixed her eyes on the sand coloured boy. "We need to pull him out with us. He has control over everything in this dream. So we have to get him out of here." She stopped for a second, spinning her red yo-yo to keep the doll back from her. "It’s risky. Not to mention if we time it wrong we might end up stuck here, but it's all I have."

"I'll follow your lead." He replied with a strong nod as he backed up a little and checked his timings. "We have 50 seconds."

"We charge him at 30." She said in a low whisper, kicking away the spider again and jumped away from the clown.

'45 seconds...'

They got into position, still fighting off the sand monsters but with a straight view of the Akuma now.

'40 seconds...'

Chat took out the clown once more, clearing their path.

'35 seconds...'

They got it to a running stance just as the doll began to reform.

'30 seconds...'

They bolted, narrowly missing the reformed spider, charging at the Akuma at top speed.

'25 seconds…'

Sweet Nightmare, who had been in the middle of terrifying Alya and completely ignoring the super hero duo, stood over her cowering form laughing.

'20 seconds…'

The chuckles stopped as his face filled with confusion and shock as the heroes charged at him.

'15 seconds…'

Chat and Ladybug wrapped their arms around his waist, pulling him with them as they continued to run, the wall of the studio beginning to stretch and waver to allow them to continue to run, the Akuma pinned between them.

'10 seconds…'

Sweet Nightmare must have allowed Alya to wake up as the world was melting around them, the doll, clown and spider already gone from the world.

'5 seconds…'

"Come on Feathers." Chat muttered under his breath. "Come on..."

'3 seconds…'

"THERE!" Ladybug shouted just as a bright blue crack formed in the wall, the two pushing to get to it, feeling the world fade around their feet.

'2 seconds'

They tumbled through the crack and landed on the floor in a heap, Sweet Nightmare between them and Alya bolting up in bed with a gasp. As the three got their bearings, they saw a bright bluish flash of light fill the air and dart out the window. Sweet Nightmare recovered first, looking at his hands before growling. "You woke me up!" He shouted then ran towards the door.

Chat soon got to his feet and began to follow but Ladybug paused for a moment, looking around. "Peacock?"

"Out here." Came a voice from behind the window. "My transformation wore off. I'm alright, don't worry. Just go get that guy! I'll catch you up."

"Right. Be quick." She said then headed to follow her partner, running down and around her friend's house and into the kitchen. Since Marlena Césaire was the head chef of the restaurant and had such a large family to feed, her kitchen was a very impressive location and quite large. But with only one entry point where Chat was currently stood, blocking Sweet Nightmare from leaving.

He was clutching his teddy bear tight to his chest as he stood by the oven, sneering at the two heroes before a purple mask lit up his face. "When I'm done with you two, you're going to wish you never woke up!" He snapped, holding his hand out and created a large samurai like monster before him, the horns on the helmet scratching the top of the room.

Chat and Ladybug both backed off a little before Chat lifted his baton once more. "Now would be a good time for part two of the plan."

"Shame I don't have one." She yelped, ducking down under the sword as it swung for her head.

As it came down for another swing, the pair heard a familiar voice shout out; "Feather Illusion!"

The samurai was suddenly surrounded by a mass of long thick bamboo canes, all of them growing out of the ground to twist around him and stop his movements. Ladybug and Chat turned to their friend as she returned but she looked oddly bedraggled. "Sorry." She managed. "Three transformations in the same night has taken a lot out of me and my kwami."

"It's alright Peacock." Ladybug said, looking at the monster. "At least now I have some time to do this." She threw her yo-yo high. "Lucky Charm!"

A slingshot fell into her hands. The three looked at it and Peacock couldn't help but chuckle. "And I thought my illusion was random this time. Ideas?"

Ladybug looked around the room, waiting for something to click and form a plan but nothing did. She was in a kitchen with a sand monster samurai and a boy made of sand before her. However, something beside her caught her attention; on the wall were photos of Alya's family and one image was of them on holiday next to a sandcastle and an idea formed.

She looked around again but this time upwards. Just as she expected of a high class chef, the Césaire family kitchen had a built in sprinkler system. She looked to her partners. "Chat, use cataclysm on the taps. Peacock, help him. We are going to soak this sand man."

"On it." The two said at the same time before jumping into action but as Chat leapt over the counter and hurried for the tap, Peacock tripped over her own feet and landed hard on the floor.

Clutching her head, she tried to sit up only to find Nightmare stood over her, smiling coldly. "Say, let’s see what the little bird's scared of before I take her miraculous." He chuckled, his fingers dissolving into sand that floated towards her eyes.

"Peacock!" One or maybe both shouted but all Peacock could see was the sand slowly forming before her eyes, watching as small models began to form, laughing. She cringed, pulling away from it all but they followed, trying to get into her once more.

However, that was the moment Chat called for his power and slammed his hand down on the taps while Ladybug used the slingshot to strike the sprinklers above causing them to begin a shower of water on the being below. The samurai soon began to crack and crumble as the water was absorbed and logged it down.

Sweet Nightmare meanwhile screamed and backed away but Chat used his hand to redirect the flow of water from the tap into his face, making it collapse in on itself and melt. "Peacock! The bear!"

The cold water shook the bird free of the bad dream, Peacock nodded and grabbed the bear from his arms, throwing it for Ladybug. She caught it as the water began to slow down and stop and pulled the poor stuffed animal's head right off, releasing as they hoped, the black butterfly but only when it was caught and purified was it allowed to go on its way.

One Miraculous Cure later and all of the heroes were dry and the mess of sand on the floor was gone, the sandy Akuma turned into a sandy haired boy, looking around terrified. "Wha... where am I?"

Ladybug smiled at him as she stepped over. "It's alright, everything is going to be okay."

"Woooahhh!" Came an excited Alya as she stood, still in her PJs but with phone in hand. "Check it out Ladyblog! All three heroes IN MY HOUSE! This is so epic!"

The others smiled at her but then the three miraculous bleeped in tune. They looked at each other then smiled, Chat's with a certain cattiness to it. "Well, guess we should head home and get some sleep." He turned and looked at Ladybug. "See you in my dreams Bugaboo."

She didn't have time for an answer as the miraculous bleeped once more and they hurried to the front door and made their way into the street. However, just before they made their way outside, Ladybug turned to Alya who looked slightly upset at them dashing off. She gave her a smile and a wave. "Sleep well Paris. See you next time."

(LINE)

The next night, Chat stretched himself out with a loud yawn and smirked to himself as he rolled his shoulders and head. Unlike last time, this wasn't from exhaustion but from a well needed good night's sleep. He flopped onto his belly in a manner that would make his name's sake proud. Just to punctuate his mood, he gave a loud pleased 'ahh'.

Peacock beside him looked at him with a smirk. "Feel better Chat?"

"Much. Amazing what a goodnight's sleep can do for your whiskers."

The blue miraculous chuckled and reached out for his head, stroking the spot behind his extra ears. "You take being a cat far too seriously, you know that?"

"Hey, as the song goes, everybody wants to be a cat."

"I always hated that movie."

"It’s a classic."

"Oh go hack up a hair ball."

"Only if you stop spitting feathers."

"Don't you have a tree to get stuck up?"

"After you fly into a window."

"Ohh that's low." She scoffed, hurt clear but then it melted away into laughter, the two of them giggling at their insult war.

Ladybug meanwhile just rolled her eyes. "You two are as bad as each other."

"Oh come on Bugaboo, it's been a tough few days for all of us." Chat chuckled as he sat up and perched on the edge of the roof. "We need to blow off a little steam."

"Yeah well..." She sighed, sitting as well. "That's what's concerned me."

"What do you mean?"

"That boy... he was an Akuma for four days. We've never faced an Akuma that lasted _ _days__ before." She turned to the two of them. "I'm worried. It's as if... Hawk Moth is becoming stronger."

Chat rolled his shoulders back. "Well, we're getting stronger too."

"But we need to up our game." She stated, looking out over the city. "If we are going to protect this city, we need to be ready for anything."

Chat smile grew even larger. "Hey, we can take these Akumas on in our sleep!"

Peacock dropped her head into her hands. "How long have you been waiting to pull out that joke?"

"It came to me in a dream."

"Chat, one more joke and you are going swimming in the Seine."

He smiled, tipping his head to keep looking at her. "What’s wrong Peacock? Wake up on the wrong side of the nest?"

Keeping to her word, Peacock soon dropped the cat into the river.


	19. Chapter 19 - Densest People

The three girls giggled loudly as they left the school, talking about their plans for the weekend ahead; Alya was going to be working on some Ladyblog formatting while Marinette planned on working on her dress for the ballet opening night and Annamarie was spending the whole weekend at rehearsal.

Walking down the steps, Alya stopped and frowned. “Oh yeah, have you asked Adrian and Nino to join us yet?” She asked the dancer.

She shook her head and rolled a shoulder. “Haven’t had chance.”

“Well you do now. Hey! Adrian! Nino!”

The two boys turned from their own talk and walked over to the girls with a friendly wave and smiles. “Hey.” Nino said as he stopped before them. “Got any plans for the weekend?”

“This and that.” Alya said casually before pushing the raven haired girl forward a little as she grinned goofily at Adrian. “But Marinette, don’t you have something to ask Adrian?”

She blinked out of her normal day dream and gulped. “Wa? Oh… yeah… well… umm… we were… you know… and ballet… so… you… yes?” She rambled in a hot flush.

Annamarie and Alya just laughed playfully at her then Annamarie decided to save her and stepped forward. “What Marinette was _ _trying__ to say is that I have two spare tickets to the opening night of my ballet and we were wondering if you would like to join us.” She looked away suddenly. “Well, them… since I’ll be on stage… performing.”

Adrian grinned at the idea. “Sounds great! I’d love to come see you!”

“Me too.” Nino said before grinning at the shocked expressions of all around him. “What? I appreciate _ _all__ music. And classics are just the original music. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Great.” Annamarie said with a smile. “It’s not for a few weeks but the receptions are always fun. This will be my first in Paris so having people I know will make it so much easier.”

“Ahh, poor Annamarie.” Came the snotty nosed call of Chloe as she walked past. “No one wants to go to see you perform so you have to give the tickets away? How sad.”

Annamarie glared at her, unable to believe she had once called her a friend. Or worse, been her. “Oh, it’s you Chloe.” She said calmly. “There was me wondering what that smell was. I thought someone had left a drain open. But it was just your perfume.”

Alya snorted at the comeback but Marinette frowned, reaching out and taking hold of her shoulder. “Annamarie.” She said softly but with a clear warning.

The tension slowly sank from the dancer’s shoulder and she turned her back on the mayor’s daughter. “Sorry.” She whispered to her friend.

Chloe smirked as she flicked her hair back a bit. “Anyway, I can’t stick around. I have a plane to catch. I’m off to Spain for the weekend.”

“Great, we get some piece and quite for a couple of days.” Alya whispered, making Annamarie smile.

Chloe shot them a look but by then the three girls were walking away, talking happily.

(LINE)

“That’s enough for today!” Madam Renou called with a clap of her hands over the dancers. “Thank you all for your great performance and I will see you all tomorrow.”

Annamarie sighed as she relaxed and stretched her back out, glad rehearsal was finally over. She hated to admit it but she was exhausted from all the rehearsals and patrols. But at least they were enjoying a break from Hawk Moth and Chat had relaxed her training, even more after she’d managed to knock him down to the floor the last time they sparred.

As she headed out of the dance room, she passed Emilie Garnier and smiled at her. “Hey, great work on that cabriole today!”

“Thanks! I’ve been doing those exercises you showed me.” She said back with a smile.

“It’s working.” Annamarie laughed, picking up her bag. “Keep it up.”

“Will do. Hey, some of us are going to grab something to eat after training, you want to join us?”

“Thanks but I’ve made plans for today. Rain check?”

The other dancer nodded. “Yes, no problems but you are buying the drinks!”

“Deal.” She laughed, walking out of the room, heading to her dressing room. She got changed and washed in less than half an hour and headed out to the front of the school and was surprised to see her classmates already waiting for her. “Hey! You’re early.”

“No we’re not.” Nino laughed, jumping off the wall he’d been sat on. “You said meet at 4. If anything, you’re late.”

“No, I said I _ _finish__ at 4. I have to get changed and ready after.” She smirked, pulling her jacket back up. “Don’t want to hang out smelling like you Nino.”

The DJ laughed at her playful tease. “Hey, the ladies love the Ni-man.”

“More like Ni-never.” Alya joined in. “Anyway, we better get going. It looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Alright, come on, we can probably make it to the cinema before it starts.”

They began to move off when suddenly they heard someone call the dancer’s name, turning to see Louie heading over to them with an envelope in his hands. “Hey, Annamarie, glad I caught you before you left. Madam Renou asked me to give this to you, it’s the performance tickets you asked for.”

“Oh! Thanks!” She said taking the packet and putting it in her bag. “Great timing as well, these are the guys I’ve invited. Louie, I’d like you to meet Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrian.” She said, pointing to each in turn. “Guys, this is Louie Alard, the male lead here and my partner for the show.”

“Pleasure to meet you all.”

“Hey dude.”

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

“Hey.” Alya finished with a wave. “Oh, Louie, you doing anything now?”

“No, not really, just gonna head home. Why?”

“Wanna come to the cinema with us? The more the merrier hey?”

The dancer glanced at his partner then at her friends. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t.” Annamarie stated with a smile. “As Alya said, the more the merrier.”

“If you don’t mind?”

She smiled back at him and nodded as Alya laughed. “Well then, let’s go! Before this rain starts to get any worse!”

The six began to move but Annamarie just rolled her eyes. “Please, you should see the ‘storms’ we have in England. This is just a drizzle.” She said before jogging to keep up with the others, ignoring her exhaustion as they hurried, the rain slowly beginning to fall.

They made it to the cinema relatively dry, laughing as they got inside, buying their tickets and a more than was healthy amount of junk food, they sat and waited for the film to start. They sat just outside the auditorium and turned their attention to Louie, the man joining in effortlessly as if they had known each other for months and not just less than an hour.

“So, how come I’ve never seen you at school before?”

“I go to an all-boys school.” Louie explained, picking at his popcorn as they waited.

“Whoa, that must be tough. No wonder you became a dancer.”

“Alya.” Annamarie hissed.

Louie smiled as he looked at the group. “Actually… I dance because my little sister wanted to see me on stage. But back then I used to stammer, so I took up dance instead and now, well, I’m so good at it, I don’t want to give it up.”

“Your sister must be so proud.” Annamarie said honestly at his side. “Seeing you be a lead.”

His smile fell and he looked away. “S…she died a few years ago. She was born with a… kind of blood cancer..”

Marinette bit her lip and looked at him with a sad frown. “I’m so sorry Louie.”

“She… loved to see me dance… even when I was in the background.”

“I’m sure she was proud of you.”

The group smiled at him in support but just then they headed into the auditorium, taking their seats, Alya making sure Marinette sat next to Adrian and she sat on the other side of Adrian with Nino on her right. Annamarie sat on Marinette’s right and Louie on _ _her__ right.

The movie began, the teens being transported into a whole new fantasy world, smiling at each other but as Alya reached out to take some popcorn from Adrian, she leant forward and saw Annamarie and Louie and the way he kept glancing at the dancer.

An hour later, the film ended, they decided to go out to eat, Adrian accepting he’d have consequences but he’d put up with them for a few more hours with his friends. As they left the building, they realised the rain had gotten a lot worse, even for the half British and they scrambled for umbrellas, Annamarie and Marinette both blushing as they realised they had forgotten theirs.

But Louie soon stepped over and held his over his partner’s head, leading the way to the restaurant while Nino and Alya followed behind and a very happy Marinette walked along at the back with a dark black umbrella over her head as a blonde held it for her, something that brought back some very happy memories for her.

It was a short walk but as they headed to the café in mind, Alya smiled and looked behind her. “Psst!” She whispered softly. “Look.”

Adrian and Marinette both peaked between them to see what she had spotted. Annamarie was talking about the film while Louie... Louie was looking at her with rosy cheeks and a soft subtle look that could only mean one thing.

The two girls beamed but said nothing, just going into the restaurant and ordering before picking back up on their conversation on the film they’d just seen.

Adrian sighed as he ran a hand back in his hair. “I can’t believe they changed Theo’s hair. I mean, it was a major point that he had blonde hair… and they gave him ginger? I mean, what were they thinking!”

“What do you mean?” Annamarie asked, confused.

“In the books.”

“There are books?” She asked softly. “I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, a whole series, five books in total.”

Annamarie tipped her head to the side. “Well, maybe I’ll see if I can find them and read it.”

“Well, I have the whole collection.” Louie recommended. “I could lend them to you?”

“Are they in French? Because I can speak French perfectly but… well… I can’t read it so well.”

“Oh.” Louie frowned, looking away.

“Well, I think I have them in English.” Adrian said thoughtfully. “I mean… I think they were sent by some fan… or something. I’ve never read them but if you want to borrow them, you can.”

“Thanks Adrian, that would be great! If you have them that is.”

“Sure, can’t guarantee there isn’t some kind of note inside but if you want to borrow them.”

“I’d love to, please.” She chuckled then put her napkin on the table. “If you will excuse me for a moment.” She pardoned herself and walked away from the table and towards the bathroom.

As soon as she was out of sight, Marinette and Alya turned sharply to Louie. “Alright, spill!” Alya insisted, her grin almost splitting her face in half.

“S-Spill?” He stammered, stunned by the sudden attention.

“You and Annamarie!” Marinette giggled. “We saw the way you were looking at her on the walk here.”

“And in the cinema.” Alya added. “So? Come on, fess up!”

Louie turned a subtle shade of pink, making sure not to look at either of the younger girls. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nino was the one to laugh next. “Dude, save yourself a boatload of trouble and just tell them. I know how bad those two are in getting what they want.”

The two girls shot him a look but soon dropped it to go back to Louie. He shifted under their gaze and looked away. “Well… maybe I have… a bit… a little… crush on her.”

“Hate to break it to you Louie.” Adrian said with a pitiful smile. “But your face says it’s a bit more than a crush.”

Alya mentally groaned to herself at how Adrian could pick up that Louie was in love with Annamarie in just a few hours while he had no idea Marinette was in love with him after months.

She swore she was surrounded by the densest people alive.

Louie sank and let out a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right… I… I’m… in love with her. But you can’t tell her!” He insisted, blushing. “I want to tell her. I’m planning to do it at the opening night of the ballet. So please, don’t say anything to her.”

“We won’t.” Marinette said, speaking for all of them. “But I’m happy for you.”

They had changed the subject by the time Annamarie got back to the table and smiled at them, continuing to talk and laugh until they finished, Adrian offering to walk home with Annamarie and get the book on route. As they got to the mansion, Annamarie quirked a brow. “Big enough place for you? Or is the rest of the circus not here at the moment.”

“Haha, come on, it’s in my room.”

“Oh Adrian, you could at least buy me a drink before taking me to your room.” She said in a mockery of a flirting voice.

Adrian chuckled at her as he led the way and opened to the door to his room, showing it to the teenager behind him. “Actually, you’re the first girl I’ve ever had in here.”

Annamarie winked at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

He scratched the back of his head and turned away. “Well, make yourself at home… I’ll just go find that book for you.”

The dancer looked around the room to the two walls of books. “Might take you a while.” She commented as he walked to the staircase.

As suggested, she began walking around the room, looking over his belongings and fighting back the urge to call Marinette and tell her where she was. However, something caught her attention; a picture on the boy’s desk, framed elegantly. But it was who was _ _in__ the image that caught her attention. Adrian, clearly younger from the look of his hair… with a blonde woman Annamarie knew very well.

“Sophia.” She whispered to herself, eyes wide. Suddenly something in her bag jabbed into her leg. “Oww!” She gasped, rubbing it and peaked in her bag to see Froufrou holding a pencil and shaking his head quickly.

Adrian looked down from the balcony above and frowned. “You alright Annamarie?”

She looked up at him. “Just cramp. Didn’t stretch before sitting down for so long after training.”

He laughed. “I know that feeling. Found the first book for you! I know you’ll love it.” He walked down to her and looked at what she was still holding, smiling sadly at her. “Oh… yeah… that’s my mom.”

“Your mom?”

He nodded, taking the picture from her. “She… vanished a few years ago. This is one of the last photos I have of her.” His smile fell and he sighed. “I wish I knew where she went… I miss her.”

Opening her mouth to speak, to tell him she’d met her and she was alright when another painful jab in her leg made her stay silent. “I’m sorry Adrian. Guess that’s something else you and I have in common, we only have one parent.”

“At least yours has time for you.” He said without thinking then blushed. “I mean, my dad’s great and all but…”

“Don’t worry, I know the feeling.” She chuckled then took the book. “I should head home. I’ll return this when I’m finished.”

“Cool. And when you do, I’ll give you the second. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

As they left the boy’s room and began back to the front door, they were greeted by a very stern cold call of ‘Adrian.’ The boy physically gulped as he stepped towards the voice and was faced with his father, standing between himself and the front door.

“Yes father.” He said as calmly as he could.

“You were expected back 2 hours ago.” Gabriel stated in a cold sharp tone. “I allowed you to go to the cinema as a reward for your good behaviour recently but do not think it gives you justification to abuse my lenience.”

“Father, I’m sorry, I just… lost track of time.”

“I do not wish to hear excuses.”

“It’s not.” Came another voice as Annamarie walked down the stairs, passing Adrian and standing just to the side between the two Agrestes. “Monsieur Agreste, a pleasure to see you again.”

“Mademoiselle Tolrana.” Gabriel said coldly, trying to remain composed at her sudden appearance. “What an unexpected surprise. I did not know you were here.”

Annamarie nodded slightly. “I was just borrowing a book from Adrian. But what he said is true, we did just lose track of time. You see, after the film, we decided to go for a snack of lunch but while we were there this reporter recognised us and…” she rolled a shoulder up to her ears. “Well they started asking me about the ballet and then they asked Adrian about the costumes you’re designing and the photo shoots and… well, before we knew it, it was late. But she did give me her business card, in case we wanted to finish the interview.” She pulled out a small card from her jacket pocket. “I might get back to her myself later. But, back to Adrian being back late, I really hope he isn’t going to be punished for _ _basically__ doing his job; representing you and your company in a good light.”

Gabriel’s eye twitched. “I see.”

She let her lip curl in victory and turned her back on him, looking at the younger boy and winked. “Well, Adrian, are you going to see me out or not?”

He gulped, not trusting his voice and nodded, walking over to her and taking her elbow as they went to the door but as they passed the designer, Gabriel frowned. “Wait… Mademoiselle Tolrana, that hair grip… where did you get it?”

Touching the peacock miraculous, Annamarie swallowed. “Oh, this old thing? Picked it up in a car boot sale back in England.”

Without another word, Mr Agreste reached out towards it and touched the side of her head, eyes locked on the clip. Quickly the dancer stepped out of his reach and frowned. “Excuse me sir?”

He blinked, as if in a trance and looked at her. “My apologise.” He said then turned, walking away.

Once he was gone, Adrian leant over to his classmate’s ear and looked at her with an embarrassed blush. “Sorry about that.”

“Yeah because randomly touching a girl’s hair is a _ _completely_ _ natural thing to do.” She sighed, walking out of the mansion. “And I’m the one who should be sorry; I might have got you out of being too seriously grounded but I don’t think you’re going to get away with it.”

“I’ll live. But, what if he looks into the reporter?”

 She winked at him again. “Oh Adrian honey, do you think I’m stupid to leave open ends? I have connections. I will make sure a glowing interview between you and me is in the next edition of ‘Pointe Magazine’.”

He smiled at her. “You’re a great friend, you know that?”

“You’re the ones who let me into your circle.” She said, her smile drifting away. “I’m just earning my place there. See you at school Adrian.”

“See you Annamarie.”

She forced a smile as she looked at him, taking in his eyes and hair before turning and heading home, everything slowly beginning to click into place.

As she entered her room, she allowed Froufrou out and sighed, running a hand back in her fringe. “Someone worked out who Sophia was didn’t they? That’s why she left Adrian, to protect him. Whoever is after you and the miraculous… they would have used Adrian to get to her.” She let out a deep breath and sat down at her desk, looking at her own picture of Adrian’s mother. “It all makes sense now.”

Froufrou nodded as he sat on the photo frame. “That’s right, Annamarie. But you can’t tell him about her. If you did, she would be in danger, as would Adrian.”

“I understand. Don’t worry about that. But…” She stopped and turned to her draws, pulling out a piece of fancy writing paper and a pen.

“What are you doing?”

“Writing a letter to Sophia. I have to tell her about Adrian. She probably doesn’t know where he is or anything.”

Froufrou said nothing, just sat and watched.

__Sophia,_

_I know it has been a while since I spoke with you but I’ve been busy trying to amend the mistakes I made with my classmates. It’s been hard but everyone is finally appearing to forgive me. They are finally seeing the real me._

_But that’s not important right now. I have something I have to tell you; I met Adrian. He’s in my class at school and it wasn’t until today that I realised that he’s your son. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, you have the same smile and eyes! If I had worked it out sooner I would have told you at once._

_My mom told me that you had to leave him suddenly a few years ago and now I know why. Hawk Moth worked out your identity as the last Peacock and you had to protect him. You left to keep him safe, I understand that now. It’s sad to know that you are alright and not being able to tell him, the way he talks about you, it’s clear he really misses you._

_He’s doing amazingly, Sophia, he’s top of the class, a famous model in Paris yet never lets it go to his head. He’s kind and understanding and I don’t know why I didn’t see that he’s related to you before. He’s just like you. Even down to the bad jokes. He spends any chance he gets with his friends and I feel honoured to be counted as a ‘sort of’ friend of his. Hey, he leant me a book so he can’t hate me all that much._

_Sophia, I promise, I will be who I really am now and not pretend to be something I’m not. And I swear, I will do everything within my power to protect your son and maybe one day, Ladybug, Chat and I can defeat Hawk Moth and you can come back to be with him. I will wait for that day._

_Take care of yourself, hope to hear from you soon._

_Your friend_

_Annamarie__

She smiled at her letter then signed the letter off with the same styled peacock fan design that Sophia signed her own letters off with, now understanding the meaning. Once done, Froufrou peached on her shoulder and scanned the letter and frowned. “Why is there no mention of me in there?”

She chuckled then lifted her pen once more.

__PS. Froufrou sends his love too.__

The kwami nodded in approval. “Much better.”

Smiling, the teenager poked her feathered friend before writing the address on the envelope. “I can’t even tell Chat and Ladybug about Sophia, can I?”

“I’m sorry Annamarie but no. It’s not safe for anyone to know who she is or was or where she is.” He sighed. “When the time is right you can but for now…”

“It has to remain our secret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So, another chapter down! Ya! And now, it has been confirmed! Sophia is Adrian's Mother! Not the biggest shocker but yes, I have confirmed it!   
> Thank you to everyone who reviewed, they REALLY mean a lot to me!  
> Also, there was a guest who left a review asking for more ‘fully story based chapters’. And I will let you know that the next 6 chapters, up to chapter 24 are all plot base, no Akumas.   
> Finally, I just wanted to say, please check out Flock of Feathers where I am testing out a new story, the Black Cat of Notre Dame. I’m not sure if I will continue it so please let me know if you want to more.


	20. Chapter 20 - Forgiven

#  Chapter 20 - Forgiven

After a hard week of school, and two tough Akumas for the two heroes, Annamarie, Alya and Marinette decided to go off for a little pampering time to themselves, doing a bit of shopping in the many boutiques around the city and having their nails painted as a treat. Alya insisted on having little Ladybugs painted on her nails while Marinette and Annamarie just went for a more traditional French manicure, talking and laughing as they did.

In their conversation, something was said that later had Marinette biting her lower lip and leaning back precariously on her chair, thinking. While out, Annamarie had let slip that it was almost her birthday and while she and Alya had not made comment at the time, they both agreed later to throw a surprise party. They guessed that since she’d never had friends before, she probably never had a party before.

In a long phone call, they had planned the date, location and how to get the teen to the party without her knowing and they had sent emails to everyone in class to let them know. Many of them had agreed to bring or do something to help but the problem was that Marinette couldn’t think what to get her as a gift.

Part of her wanted to make something special for her like she did for Adrian and Alya’s birthdays but she couldn’t think what. She’d considered ballet shoes but on researching them, she discovered they were a very personal and delicate thing, not something that could be made without the wearer.

She sighed again, trying to think what she would like. She thought back to her last visit to her room but apart from ballet trophies and pictures, the only thing that stuck out in her mind were the photos. The one of herself with that strange blonde woman back in England, an image Marinette was still trying to work out why rang familiar. Then there was a photo of the two of them as well as Alya, Adrian and Nino together in the park they had taken a few weeks ago and a photo of Ladybug, Chat Noir and Peacock, taken at the bird’s press release.

Inspiration struck her as she looked at Tikki. “Annamarie is a fan of Ladybug!”

“Really?” The kwami asked as she flew over. “She never mentioned it.”

“I don’t think she’s a _ _super__ fan like Alya or Chloe but why else would she have a framed image of us in her room? So… what if Ladybug goes and sees her? In person?”

Tikkii smiled. “That certainly worked for Alya!”

“Alright then! Let’s go now! Tikki, spots on!”

* * *

Annamarie couldn’t help but sigh as she held the photo of Sophia in her hands, rubbing her finger over the glass. It had been weeks since she worked out who Sophia was and sent the letter to her. But she had had no response. She was worried her message had gotten the last Peacock into trouble until Froufrou had put her mind at ease.

“Sophia can handle herself. She probably hasn’t replied because she doesn’t want to risk your identity.” He said as he dug into his grapes.

The brunette chuckled at him then looked up out her window, just in time to see a red dot swinging down the street below her. “Wha… what’s Ladybug doing…” she stopped speaking when the yo-yo wrapped around the lamppost by her window. She turned quickly and looked down at the blue peacock. “Froufrou! Hide!”

The bird dived under her bed and hid there just as Ladybug landed on the lamppost and caught her eye. She gave a soft smile. “Hey there. Annamarie right?” She said cheerfully.

The dancer nodded. “Umm… yeah.”

“Can I come in?”

Stepping back from the window, Annamarie watched as her ally jumped inside and stood, hand on her hip and grinning. She found herself just stood in awe. “Wow.” She whispered, amazed how star stuck she felt. How could she be so amazed by someone she spent almost every night with?

“Nice to meet you too.” Ladybug chuckled, walking away from the window and sitting on the sofa. “You know, the last time we met… it was with that whole Dark Swan business and… well… I wanted to apologise. I was rash, I let rumours about you get to my head. I’m sorry.”

The dancer sighed, sitting down at her desk. “No, they weren’t rumours. I really did all those things people talked about. I was… a horrid person. I realise that now and I… I deserved everything I got from you and Chat and everyone else. I’m not proud of what I did.”

Ladybug smiled softly. “But you’ve changed since.”

“Yeah. I made a new friend who… has changed my world.” She chuckled, picking up a picture from her desk and holding it out. “That one there, on my left. Her name’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s the best friend I could ever ask for. Pulled me back from the brink of becoming someone I never wanted to be. And honestly, after everything I did to her, I’m really lucky she forgave me. Even more that she’s allowed me to become her friend. Even introduced me to the rest of that group, but I still have doubts on if they have all forgiven me. I’m still working on it.”

Marinette took the photo and looked at her own image, remembering the day. The frame was expensive and clearly well looked after, just a sign of how much Annamarie valued her friendship. Little did she know whom she was talking to. “I’ve met her.” She said, it was part true. “She’s a wonderful girl. In fact, she’s the reason why I’m here.”

“Oh?”

The spotted heroine leant forwards slightly, putting the picture down. “She told me it’s almost your birthday.”

Annamarie went stiff and bright red. “How… she… you… she did?!” She stammered, feeling as red as a tomato before looking away. “Well… it’s nothing special. Just another day really.”

“A birthday is never just another day Annamarie. You should celebrate it.” Ladybug chuckled but then watched as she slowly sank down and her face fell. “Hey? What’s wrong?”

“Marinette… she… she knows about my birthday. I didn’t think she knew. I mean… normally it’s just me and my mom… but…” She smiled sadly. “This is the first year I’ve got people who care about it.”

Ladybug sat still for a bit, calculating her next move. “Annamarie… you’re not alone anymore. You know that, right? So… please don’t cry.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes. “I know. But that’s why I’m crying.” She looked up, grinning at the superhero. “I’m so happy. I mean, what kind of person gets the city’s superhero to come visit someone for their birthday? She must have pulled a lot of strings to arrange that.”

Ladybug smiled, standing up and walking over to her before pretending to only just notice the other picture on the desk and picked it up. She was a little amused that this frame was a cheaper build, clearly still good quality but not as good as the picture of Marinette and friends. Turning she looked at the dancer who blushed.

“I… umm… yeah. I… I kinda…” She stopped talking and bit her lip. She only had that picture because it was the best one of herself and her superhero friends.

“I can get them to sign it for you if you want.” Ladybug offered. “Chat and Peacock. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” She winked. “Call if a birthday gift.”

Annamarie blushed even harder. “You… you’d do that for me?”

“You’re not the person you were the last time we met. I’ve forgiven you for what you did so I don’t see why not.” She explained with a kind smile. “You said so yourself; this is the real you. So why not? Just lend me this picture for a few days. I’ll get it back to you, promise.”

“Umm… sure… alright… as long as you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” She chuckled. “But I really need to get going. It was nice talking to you Annamarie. I’ll make sure you get your picture back, don’t worry.” She walked over to the window but stopped when she saw the plate of grapes on the still, looking at the dancer with a curious smile.

Annamarie shrugged. “Help yourself if you want one.”

“Thanks, I will.” Ladybug said, plucking one off the stem and popping it in her mouth, chewing it then winking. “White grapes are my favourite.”

“Mine too.” Peacock chuckled as the hero climbed out and back onto the lamppost, the dancer following her to the window. “Take care of yourself Ladybug!”

“You too Annamarie! And stay on the good side!”

She chuckled. “Trust me, I’m never going back.”

Ladybug smiled then threw her yo-yo away and swung off into the distance.

Back in her room, Annamarie smiled as she sat on her bed and couldn’t help but giggle. Froufrou didn’t look happy as he came out from under the bed. “I don’t see what you’re so happy about! Ladybug could have worked out you were Peacock. And what were you thinking giving her some of _ _my__ grapes?!”

The dancer looked at him then reached out and grabbed the little bird, pulling him close for a hug. “Oh Froufrou, Ladybug… she’s forgiven me!” she laughed then let him go and went over to her desk, pulling out a hidden piece of paper from the roof of a draw and opened it. It was a list of names, everyone she had hurt in her months as a bully.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the list but now she could tick Ladybug off along with Marinette and Alya. “Still a lot of names to go.” She said to the bird. “But I’m getting there.”

* * *

Peacock let out a breath as she landed on the very thin railing, only just wide enough for her to stand on, a very difficult landing but she managed to keep her balance. “Yes.” She said victoriously.

“Nice landing Feathers.” Chat said as he joined her. “Bet you can’t do it again.”

“One box of chocolates says I can.” The bird gambled.

“Cats can’t eat chocolate but you’re on. Let’s make it a challenge.” The black masked cat said as he looked around. “You have to fly around that tower and land on the railing of that roof there, with the flowers on it.”

Peacock bit her lip, judging the route, it wasn’t easy but she nodded. “Deal.” She spread her glider out and took to the air once more, watching as Chat made his way over and waited for her. She took a deep breath and turned sharply towards the target, making a sharp bank around the mast but as she did, the tip of her glider caught the metal and caused her wobble and caused her to enter a swooping dive towards the roof in question, her flight too fast and out of control.

Chat’s eyes widened as he realised the same thing. She’s wasn’t going to make it. He jumped instantly into action and grabbed her in mid-air, landing on his feet on the roof before righting her. “You alright Feathers?”

She took a deep breath, holding his shoulder to steady herself. “I… I’ll be fine.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Keep practicing.”

“What happened?!”

The two turned to see Ladybug walking over to them with a concerned look on her face. Peacock lowered her gaze in embarrassment. “I…”

“I made her do something stupid.” Chat confessed. “I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry my Lady.”

Ladybug glared at the cat then pulled on his ear. “You are meant to set an example Chat Noir! Keep that in mind or I will throw you in the river.”

He pouted as she pulled on him. “Ah come on my lady, at least take my clothes off first. You can wash my back?”

The red bug released him with a roll of her eyes and looked at Peacock. “Are you alright Pea?”

She nodded gently and smiled. “He caught me.”

“Always will Feathers.”

The trio chuckled before Ladybug sighed. “Oh, Chat, Pea, do you remember that Akuma a few months ago, Dark Swan?”

“The ballet dancer?” Chat said as Peacock tried not to blush. “Yeah, hard to forget. I still get jumpy when I see a swan. Why?”

“Remember the girl she was after? Annamarie Tolrana.”

Chat smiled as he nodded, as did Peacock. “What about her?”

Ladybug reached behind her back and took a deep breath. “Well, it’s her birthday in a few days and… I promised I’d get this signed for her.” She held out the photo to the pair, along with a pen. “Since she’s really changed since then. She’s not the bully she was before so…”

“Of course.” Chat said, snatching the picture and quickly drawing his claw print signature on it. “I’ve heard she’s changed too. So it’s her birthday soon? Maybe we can pop by and see her?”

“Maybe.” Ladybug said, knowing she couldn’t, not when she was hosting the party herself.

Passing the picture to Peacock, Chat grinned. “Good to know she’s being who she really is now.”

Pen in one hand, picture in the other, Peacock just looked at the cat. “So… you forgive her?”

“Wha? Well, yeah, why not?”

“Because she did all those horrid things. She hurt so many people. Can you really just… forgive her?”

The two looked at her and frowned. “Why do you ask Pea?”

She gulped and looked away. “I just don’t see how you can forgive someone like her so easily.”

Chat blinked then walked over to her. “Peacock… Annamarie might have made mistakes but she accepts that and is trying to make amend. She might never get everyone to forgive her but at least she will have _ _my__ forgiveness. I won’t hold it against her just because she made a mistake. I’ve been there and I know how hard it is. So… that’s why I forgive her.”

Annamarie smiled slightly behind her mask and nodded. “I guess that’s true.” She said before signing her photo with a feather icon. Felt a bit odd signing her own picture but she let it slide for once.

Ladybug took it back and signed her own symbol before nodding. “Great. I’ll make sure she gets it back soon.”

“So… are we going to hang around here or night or we going to go patrol the city?”

“Alright. But no more bets with Pea, Chat.” Ladybug laughed as she took off.

“Wha! We never…” He stopped then sank down. “You heard us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Two things quickly.  
>  1 - How do you pronounce “Annamarie Tolrana”? I’m curious to see how different people pronounce her surname. There’s no right or wrong way so don’t be shy.  
>  2 - I need help! Wolf and I need help with finishing the story so if anyone out there wants join our team then please let me know.  
> Otherwise, take care of yourself and we will see you next time!


	21. Chapter 21 - Date

The view was something she would never get tired of, the whole of Paris, stretched out before her, the wind and sun. Any other person would be terrified to be as high as she was without support but Peacock wasn’t ‘normal’ as she lay casually on her back across a beam of metal, one leg swinging over the edge while she looked down at the people below, nothing more than dots from her view.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

She sat up sharply at the voice and beamed at her partner. “Nor I you.”

“What you doing here?” Ladybug asked as she sat by her feet.

Peacock shrugged, stretching out. “Hiding. I needed a break from my life. This is my favourite place to come in Paris. And no one else can join me. Apart from you of course but I’m always happy to see you.”

“Careful Pea, you almost sounded like Chat then.”

“You know what I mean.” She sat up and scratched her back. “So, why you here?”

“Same reason, I needed a break.”

“Cool.” Peacock sighed, still scratching. “Hey, Ladybug, can I ask you a question and a favour?”

“Anything for you.”

She turned around and pointed to the spot between her shoulder blades. “Could you scratch my back? Seriously, I don’t know what’s going on but I just can’t reach it!”

The hero laughed freely but nodded, reaching out and scratched the spot. “Better?”

“Much.” She cooed, rolling her shoulders. “Thanks. These suits are amazing but… an itch is still and itch.”

The two chuckled and sat looking out at the city for a bit. “Alright, so that’s a favour. What’s the question?”

Sitting back at her side, Peacock thought before shrugging. “Why don’t you give Chat a chance?”

Taken by surprise, Ladybug stared wide eyed at her. “What?”

“Why don’t you give him a chance? I mean… you don’t see the way he is when you’re not around. He is head over tail in love with you.” She held up her hands suddenly. “He has the _ _strangest__ way of showing it I know but it’s true. He would do anything for you. So… why do you always push him away?”

Ladybug stared at her for a moment then quickly away. “Well… the thing is… I… I’m in love with someone else.”

Peacock blinked then tipped her head to the side slightly. “Then why don’t you just tell him you have a boyfriend.”

Ladybug blushed at her. “Well… he doesn’t… I mean…”

“Oh.” The other hero said with a smile. “Unrequited love.”

Ladybug said nothing, just looked out on Paris.

“Look, Ladybug, if the person you are so… enamoured with doesn’t know, what’s the harm in giving Chat a chance?” She sighed deeply. “I’m not saying you have to take off the mask and marry him but… would it kill you to go on one date?”

“But… my heart…”

“Look.” Peacock interrupted. “I’ll put it another way for you. You love this other guy? So going on one date with Chat Noir won’t change how you feel for him. And it will really make his day.” She looked closer at the red hero. “I’m not sure you noticed but he’s been down recently.”

After a moment to think, Ladybug sighed. “Did he put you up to this?”

She laughed softly. “No, he hasn’t. I’m just doing this because you two are my friends.” She gave her a smile and a wink. “And if I have to play matchmaker then so be it.”

Her friend smiled back but it gradually fell when she saw the look the other gave her; as if she was forcing herself to smile. “Peacock? What’s wrong?”

She sighed and looked down at her hands. “It’s not… something _ _wrong__. It’s a… revelation I had a few days ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ladybug, when I fought against Volpina, I thought I could do anything, that… we were indestructible.” She touched her side at the phantom pain. “But… when… when I was hurt… it made me realise that life… isn’t forever and could end any second. I realised I wanted to live those seconds as if they might be my last. And I want you to understand and get the most out of it as well.”

Ladybug gave her a compassionate look and slowly relaxed. “I guess it won’t hurt to go… just once. But… how will I tell him after turning him down for so long?”

The bird lay back on the metal casually. “Leave that to me.” She tipped her head to look backwards. “Umm… we might want to move. We have an audience.”

Ladybug turned and looked behind them since they were sat right next to the top observation deck and a very large crowd was pressed against the glass taking photos of them. The two heroes gave them all a cheerful smile and waved at them before dropping down and going off in their own directions.

* * *

“Chat!”

Adrian looked up suddenly at the call. He’d just been about to jump into his home when the call came out but luckily he stopped before he did and watched as Peacock landed at his side. “Feathers? What you doing here?”

“Looking for you silly. I wanted to talk to you alone.”

“About?”

Closing her fan, Peacock walked over the roof casually. “Well yesterday Ladybug and I were talking and I thought you might like to know what about.”

He frowned at her. “So? What were you talking about?”

Peacock gave him a smile then hooked her finger, beckoning him towards her. He stared at her then stepped over, leaning over so she could whisper in his ear.

Peacock took a moment to make sure she could see his face then spoke in a stage whisper. “I got Ladybug... to agree... to go...” She spoke slowly, teasing him while her eyes locked on his confused face. “On a date.”

His eyes widened.

“With you.” She finished, grinning as he leant back and his jaw dropped.

“You’re joking?”

“Would I do that to you?”

“Ladybug? On a date? With me?”

She nodded at him. “Yep.”

Jumping forward, Chat hugged her tight, spinning on the spot with joy. “I can’t believe it! You did that?! For me?”

“Chat, can’t breathe!”

He quickly released her. “Sorry. But you got Ladybug to agree to go on a date with me? How?”

“A girl has her ways. And don’t go thinking this will change everything. I got you the opening, you have to work from here on your own. But...” She set a hard glare on him and jabbed a gloved finger on his chest. “Before you even THINK about taking her anywhere I want a full written document of where you are taking her and what you are going to do. Understand? And remember you are going in hero form so keep that in mind.”

The cat nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Because if you screw this up or upset her...” Her glare became even harder. “I will hunt you down and get you neutered. Got it?”

He gulped at her threat. “Yeah. I got it.”

She nodded. “Good. Now, I won’t be on patrol tomorrow, I’ve got something _ _important__ to do. So, while I’m not around, ask if she would like to on a date, but don’t pick a day until I have seen your plan. Which I will expect to see the day after.” She opened her fan to its guider form, taking hold of the handles. “Don’t mess this up Chat because you won’t have a second chance.”

* * *

Humming and ahhing, Chat reviewed the piece of paper for the 900th time and sighed. “Peacock, are you sure about this?”

“Yes Chat.” Peacock said at his side, sounding as supportive as she could but his constant worrying was beginning to get on her nerves.

“But, _ _how__ can you be so sure?”

“Woman’s intuition. Besides, you put did all the hard work. I just fine tuned what you created.”

He rolled his eyes to look at her. “If I ever see that red pen of yours again, I swear I’ll cry.” He teased.

As agreed, two weeks ago, he’d asked Ladybug to join him on the date and even if already knew she would agree, actually hearing it from her mouth had sent him to cloud nine and immediately after he presented his plan to Peacock. She then pulled out a red pen and began marking it with notes and comments. And often big red crosses. Every day since she had done the same until two days ago she passed him an unmarked sheet back and nodded.

So he set the day and time with Ladybug.

And tonight was the night.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Chat shifted nervously. “But really… you sure about the…?”

“Chat! Just relax alright?”

He gave a light growl as he ran a hand back in his hair. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one about to go on a date with the girl of your dreams.” He sighed. “Do I look alright?”

“You look great.”

“You didn’t even look at me!”

“Because you always look great.”

Chat blinked then grinned at her. “My, my Feathers. Are you jealous?”

She scoffed and gave him a very unimpressed look. “As if! But… anyway.” She stood up and stretched out, looking out over Paris as he stood beside her. “You need to get to the rendezvous point and I need to head off on patrol.”

“And you _ _promise__ you will be alright on your own? I mean… I don’t like the idea of you going off alone tonight.”

“Look, Chat, I learnt my lesson with Volphia.” She gave him a shy smile. “But unless there is an Akuma attack, I can handle it. So you just concentrate on making tonight a magical experience for Ladybug. And if I need you, I _ _promise__ , I will call. Deal?”

He nodded, reaching out and hugging her. “Deal.”

“Good.” She pushed him back and knelt down to pick up a single white rose she’d brought for him. “Now, get going kitty, or you’ll be late and that won’t do.”

Taking the flower, Chat grinned at her again then went off over the roofs, heading off to their normal meeting point but as he got closer he realised that someone was waiting for him. Ladybug, sat on the edge, looking up at the moon.

Silently landing behind her, the black cat swallowed and cleared his throat, staring at his partner’s back. “Umm… Ladybug?”

She turned to look at him and all his blood rushed to his face in a hot blush. She still had her mask on but her eyelashes were longer from mascara and her lips slightly pinker than normal from gloss, her fringe delicately curled and there was a red spotted shawl over her shoulders. As he stared at the delicate look of his unstoppable partner, she blushed and dropped her eyes from him. “It was Peacock’s idea.” She confessed, breaking the awkward silence.

Chat chuckled as he walked over to her and held out the rose that he’d been holding behind his back. “You know, anyone would think she wants this night to go flawlessly.”

Taking the flower, Ladybug gave him a curious look. “Flawlessly? Don’t you mean purr-fect?”

“Nope. I am under strict order not to make any puns tonight.”

Ladybug laughed freely at him. “Peacock again?”

“Yeah.” He laughed back with a relaxed smile. The ice and tension was gone and he was comfortable in her presence once more, just at her side. And from the way she was playing with her rose, Ladybug was too. With a smile, he stepped to her side and held out the crook of his arm. “Shall we? It’s a bit of a walk.”

“Walk? To where?”

He gave her a cat like grin. “That is for me to know and you to find out.”

With a remarkably calm smile, Ladybug took his elbow and they began to walk over the roofs, Chat propelling them forward over the city on his baton when needed, his lady holding onto him calmly as they did. He might have wanted their destination to be a surprise but it wasn’t hard to guess where they were going; the towers and bells were quite a giveaway as they crossed the river.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame looked so wonderful in the night, the warm golden glow illuminating every surface as it sat on its island. The street below was dotted with people but the two heroes were able to swiftly make a landing on the terrace at the front before the large glass window.

As they landed gracefully, Ladybug stepped away from Chat, unable to stop her jaw from falling open at the sight before her. A large blue blanket was laid out on the stone with a few pillows to sit or lean on, a string of fairy lights all around the edge to illuminate the basket of food and empty vase that created the picnic for two.

She chuckled, walking over and placing her rose in the vase. “Well, this is secluded.”

“Couldn’t exactly take you to a restaurant, could I? I mean, we wouldn’t get a moment’s peace.” Chat’s voice came from behind as he pressed a button on an iPod so soft atmospheric music began to play as he opened a bottle that had been chilling in an ice bucket.

Ladybug smiled as she sat on a pillow and adjusted her wrap and ran a hand back in her hair. “So… how long you and Peacock been working on this?”

“I’ll have you know my lady, that this was _ _all__ my idea. Peacock just… gave it the yes or no.” He sighed dramatically as he poured some drinks. “A lot of ‘_ _no’s_ ’_ actually but she never told me _ _what__ to do. Just told me what _ _not__ to do.”

She chuckled as she took a glass. “I can believe that.” She gave the liquid a cautious look.

He smiled, looking at his own glass. “Don’t worry, it’s only lemonade. I figured you’d want to keep a clear head. You know, just in case we have to go.”

“_ _Don’t drink and fight crime hey_?_ How thoughtful of you.” She said, taking a sip. “Besides, I’m not old enough.”

Chat froze. “Really? How… how old are you?”

“Chat Noir, you should never ask a lady her age.” She teased with an almost flirting smile. “I’m fourteen.”

“I’m fifteen.” He returned almost instantly.

“I thought you’d be older.”

“I never thought you’d tell me something about the real you.”

Pausing in her drink, Ladybug shrugged. “I guess that is safe information with you.”

“Anything you tell me is safe, Ladybug.” The cat replied, eyes warm as he spoke but then turned away to the basket, opening it up. “Anyway, would you like something to eat?”

They sat and ate and talked, sharing stories about the Akumas they had fought, their time on patrol together, laughing and joking as they traded stories and their favourite food, games, drinks and locations in Paris. They talked about art and music and anything they wanted but careful enough not to reveal anything. As they spoke about Jagged Stone, Chat said he had the latest album on the iPod and got up to change the music.

As he did, Ladybug turned on the spot and opened up her yo-yo, calling Peacock. It rang for a moment before she answered, her masked face smiling as she did. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Surprisingly well.” Ladybug confessed, brushing some hair back. “What about you?”

Peacock chuckled before turning her head to the side and ducked down, someone’s arm going over her head before backing off. The mask appeared again and she smiled. “I’m fine, nothing to worry about here.”

Ladybug frowned at the image. “Peacock? What’s going on? What are you doing?”

“Oh, just a robbery I came across. No biggy.” She chuckled, still trying to stop the bag guys. “Oi, can’t you see I’m on the phone?”

Clutching her yo-yo tighter, the red hero felt her worry grow. “Are you sure you’re okay Peacock? Do you need help? How many are there? What’s going on? Do we need to come?”

She gave her a cold glare over the video link. “No.” And with that, the screen went black.

On the roof, Ladybug just stared at the phone before she finally sighed and put it away, Chat Noir returning to her side with a confused frown. “What’s with the look my lady? Are… aren’t you enjoying yourself?”

“I just checked in on Peacock. Seams she’s taken on a robbery. _ _And__ she hung up on me!”

Chat laughed at that. “That bird’s got guts.”

“Should we go help her?”

He shook his head. “She _ _promised__ me she’d call us if she couldn’t handle it.” He sighed, quickly putting the remains of their meal away. “Besides, she has to… and this is not a pun, it’s an expression, but she has to spread her wings eventually. She’s a hero in her own right now. She can handle herself.”

“I guess. I can’t help but worry about her.”

“I worry too. But we can’t keep mothering her.” He looked at her and smiled. “Besides, if we leave now, we will miss the best part.” He stood up and held out his hand to help his lady up.

Curious, the red hero took his hand and held it tight as he led her around the side of the cathedral to a tiny wooden door that he opened, a finger to his lip to tell her to be silent. They stepped inside and hid in the shadows, standing on a upper balcony and looking down on row on rows of pews, oil lamps lighting the stone and wood to a divine level while at the very end, at the altar, a group of young boys and men were standing, rehearsing. The sound of their voices drifted effortlessly in the air, given a whole new celestial feel to the song.

Chat smiled as they stood and watched them in secret, listening in silence and peace. It had been a risk to enter the building but he was so glad he took it. The heavenly tone of the young voices below, perfectly echoed around the grand architecture. He didn’t even notice his date begin to lean on his arm until her hair brushed against his cheek. He looked down at her as she rested her head against his shoulder, her hand closed loosely around him and her eyes looking up at his for a moment before she smiled and returned to watching the choir below.

The music, the lights, the smells of incense and the woman at his side, leaning on him… Chat smiled with such happiness, he felt as if his heart would burst but he didn’t say a word, just watched and memorised.

“You know.” Ladybug whispered over the music. “I was… sort of dreading this tonight. I… I thought it would be awkward or… a disaster but… you really surprised me Chat.”

Behind the mask, Adrian blushed as he got up his courage and let go of her hand and took hold of her shoulder, holding it loosely, pulling her into him. “Well… I was really nervous about tonight too. I mean, I was sure I was going to mess it up.”

“You haven’t.” The other said with true honesty, shifting into his side. “It’s been… a miraculous evening.”

Chat gave a short but deep chuckle as he turned his head into her hair. “Was that a pun? I thought puns were banned tonight.”

“Yours are. Mine aren’t.” Marinette said with a cheeky grin back, watching the choir below, her grin turning into a softer, warm smile. “But really Chat, tonight has been wonderful. Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything else, just closed his eyes and smiled.

They stood and listened for a bit longer but eventually the choir turned in for the night and the heroes turned to leave the way they had come in, Chat holding Ladybug’s hand as they did but he suddenly stopped to look up at the magnificent stain glass window before them, the millions of colours cast down on them, even with the unnatural light outside.

After a moment, he looked at Ladybug, every single colour flickered over her skin and he gave her the best real smile he could manage, one that was more Adrian Agreste than it was Chat Noir, filled with warmth and love and admiration for the woman before him. “Ladybug, I want you to know, I will remember this night forever. And I don’t care if your feelings for me haven’t changed, this one moment will be stay with me always.”

The commitment and openness of his words were so real they were almost tangible that Marinette felt herself blush at them. She was about to speak when Chat took her hand and led her back outside, taking his baton from his back and preparing to leave before turning to her. “Allow me to escort you back, my lady?”

Still struck dumb, Ladybug nodded and allowed him to wrap his arm around her and take her back to the roof they had met on. He placed her down as lightly as a kitten and looked over the roofs, composing himself again. “I… I know I’ve already said this, Ladybug but tonight has got to be the best night of my life. Bar none. And…” he chuckled a little. “I know you had your arm twisted into coming here but it still means a lot to me.”

Holding her rose and staring at it, Ladybug somehow managed to look up into his green eyes and shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, my arm was twisted. But… I’m glad it was.” She let out a small tiny laugh, smile growing with every second. “I really enjoyed myself.”

They stared, eye to eye, silent before Chat tipped his head. “But nothing’s changed.” He didn’t question, just stated, trying not to let it get to him as he reached out and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing the back. “I’ll see you tomorrow my lady.”

Stepping back, he moved to let go when her hand closed around his, turning him back to face her. Ladybug was smiling, rose in one hand and looking even more perfect than perfect. She moved closer to him and stood staring at him before tipping her head and stood on her toes, her lips gracing the side of his cheek, just under his mask. “See you tomorrow Chat.” She whispered then stepped away, let go of him and taking her yo-yo then swung away without a second look back.

Trapped in the moment, Chat just froze, jaw dropped, watching her go, his heart skipping beat after beat.

“Careful or you’ll stick like that.”

He turned at the voice and saw Peacock stood behind him, lowering her fan with a smile as wide as her face. Chat somehow managed to close his jaw and walked over to her, smiling. “You knew she’d do that?”

“Why do you think I told you to kiss her hand?” She asked back.

“You are one clever birdy.” He teased, touching her shoulder. “Thank you Peacock.”

Oddly, the bird shook her head. “I told you; I only gave you the opening. Tonight being a success is on you Chat Noir.” She winked then jumped backwards off the roof. “See you tomorrow Kitty!”


	22. Chapter 22 - Pas de Deux

Adrian smiled as he climbed out of the car outside the bakery, pulling down his jacket while Nino stepped out as well. “Thanks for lending me one of your suits buddy.”

“No problem. I mean, who needs nine suits anyway?” They laughed and headed into the building, knocking on the door where the two bakers were working to clean up. “Hey Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng. Are the girls ready yet?”

“I’ll go check.” Sabine said as she headed for the upstairs apartment.

Tom nodded to them. “Come on boys, don’t want to risk you getting flour on your nice suits.”

They went up to the main living room and stood waiting, having a laugh about their appearances and the situation as they waited impatiently for the women, when finally the trap door above opened and the three girls came down slowly, Sabine first but then Alya in long black dress, a white frilly strap over one shoulder and a grey belt at the middle, complete with elbow length gloves. Her hair in tight ringlets around her head and bright red lipstick on making her look like a completely different person.

Behind them came Marinette, in a short red ruffled dress embroidered with flowers and lacy short sleeves and a large red bow at the back with soft pink lipsticks and her normal little black earrings working perfectly with it.

All three of the boys just blinked in amazement at them before blushing. “Oh wow…” both of them whispered.

The girls giggled and blushed before Adrian looked around. “Where’s Annamarie?”

“She’s at the theatre. She’ll meet us after the performance.” Alya explained as she watched the blonde stare at Marinette.

The designer suddenly blinked. “Oh! That reminds me!” She turned and ran upstairs once again, coming back with a large box. “I made this for her… hope she doesn’t have a dress already.”

“Girl, how long did it take you to make so many dresses?”

“Oh…” she rolled a shoulder. “Just a few days. I’ve had the designs for ages but never the reason to make them. And what better reason than my friend’s performance?”

The four all laughed before Tom pulled out a camera. “Hey guys, how about a picture before you go?”

Alya grabbed Nino’s arm and linked it in her own, grinning. “Sure!”

Beside them, Adrian cleared his throat and held his arm out to Marinette who beamed like a lottery winner and, without breaking her smile, took his offered arm and stood beside him, feeling like a dream come true as her father took the photo of the four. This was certainly going on her wall later. And she wouldn’t have to hide it!

“Perfect!” Tom said with a chuckle then turned away from them. “Well, you better get going, it’s a long walk from here to the theatre. You got the tickets right Marinette?”

She patted her little black purse hanging over her shoulder where the tickets and Tikki were. “Yep. We better get going or we’ll be late!”

“Oh yeah, forgot to tell you girls.” Adrian said with a grin. “When I told my dad where I was going tonight, he arranged for the gorilla to drop us off in the limo. Guess it’s his way of making sure we look good… or something.”

The girls squealed. “You mean, not only are we going to the opening night of a ballet, with our friend as the star, but we are also going in a limo!?” Alya said, jumping up and down for a moment. “Best. Night. Ever! Only thing that could make this better would be if Ladybug, Chat and Peacock joined us!”

“Hopefully they won’t.” Marinette said. “When those three turn up, there is normally a villain and we don’t want that tonight.”

“Yes, so let hope for a trouble free night.” Adrian nodded but he did feel Plagg shift in his pocket.

“Well what we waiting for?” Nino asked, checking his reflection once more. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah, I need to give Annamarie her dress before the show!”

The teenagers all made their way carefully out of the bakery and into the waiting limo, the gorilla holding the door open for them. Still laughing and talking about their night plans, the four watched Paris as it drove by, the ride relatively slow but there it was only a hour by the time they arrived at the theatre, their arrival marked by the flash of the paparazzi as they tried to get photos of any famous people entering the show. They were a little disappointed when four teenagers stepped out but it made the kids feel even more amazing as they did.

The inside of the theatre was a mixture of proud family, coming to watch their children perform, the rich and famous enjoying a night out and the culturally interested there for the show itself.

Marinette slowly made her way to a back door and bit her lip as a guard stood blocking it. “Can I help you miss?” He asked in a rough but calm tone.

The teenager held out the box in her hands. “Umm, it’s a gift… for Annamarie?”

“Name?”

“Annamarie? Annamarie Tolrana?”

“Your name.” He said with a hint of amusement. Blushing, the girl gave her name and after a quick check on a clipboard, the guard allowed her inside. “Down the hall, on your left, down stairs then third door on the left.”

Nodding her thanks, Marinette followed his instructions and passing by dancers and costumes and changing rooms, she finally arrived at a small door with a star on it along with the letters ‘A.T’. Balancing the box on one hand, the raven haired girl knocked lightly and yelped when the door suddenly opened and Annamarie’s face appeared, her face already made up to costume.

She grinned at the sight before her and threw the door open. “Marinette! I wasn’t expecting you down here so soon.”

“Just wanted to let you know we were here and to give you this.” She held out the box. “It’s for the reception. If you don’t already have a dress to wear.”

She smiled a little sheepishly as she took the box. “I do but it’s the same one I’ve had for the last five years. I’d be delighted to wear something of yours, Marinette.” She winked. “And I’ll be sure to make sure everyone knows who made it.”

Marinette laughed at her then nodded. “Well, I better let you get to it. Break a leg Annamarie.”

“See you after the show! Hope you enjoy it!”

Heading back up to the main entry, Marinette found Alya and the others as they spoke with some random people who appeared to know Adrian. Gentleman that he was, Adrian introduced his friends and the conversation flowed easily from there.

After half an hour of conversation, a voice came over the speakers informing them that it was time to take their seats and they discovered that Annamarie’s seats were clearly the best in the house, a perfect view of the stage and orchestra as well as the beautiful building. Nino sat beside Mrs Tolrana with Alya on his right, Marinette next to her and Adrian on the end beside her. He gave her a kind smile as they sat down and it took all in Marinette’s power not to squeal.

The conversation in the seats soon settled down into silence as the lights dimmed and the curtains came up and the dance began, the dancers already enchanting the audience but it was only a few minutes before Marinette realised something.

She was lost. She had no idea what was going on. She didn’t know the plot… all she could see was a lot of people dancing in a summery setting.

Beside her, Adrian glanced over to her then blinked, leaning towards her ear and holding her hand. “Hey.” He whispered. “You alright?”

“I… I don’t know what’s going on.” She confessed, whispering back.

Adrian smiled before leaning towards her ear again. “Want me to tell you?”

She nodded a few times, feeling the boy of her dreams lean closer to whisper the plot into her ear, explaining what was going on, who was who and the situation but as he explained about Louie, dressed as a nobleman taking off his cape and sword, they both paused and grinned when Annamarie came onto the stage as a simple country girl and began dancing around her the stage, her dress billowing out with each move she made, her arms moving in delicate and beautiful movements while she managed to stand on her toes perfectly. And watching her dance and ‘flirt’ with Albrecht was both beautiful to watch but also comical as she rejected him over and over.

As another man came onto the stage, Adrian leant over. “That’s Hilarion. He’s also in love with Giselle.”

The show continued on, most of the time Adrian was silent, letting the music speak for them but every now and then he’d lean over and explain the situation.

Annamarie shone in the spotlight, the dancers around her just as elegant but as soon as she began to dance it was the brunette no one could take their eyes off.

After an hour, Marinette sat with her jaw wide open as Annamarie fell backwards onto the stage floor and lay there while an older dancer clearly wept silently beside her and the curtains fell dramatically around them. The audience burst instantly into applause, the teens included.

As they left their seats for the interval, Marinette turned to her guide on the matter. “Wait… did she just… die?!”

Adrian nodded with a smile. “Yep. Giselle died at the end of act 1.”

“So is Annamarie not in the second part?”

“Oh she is. But she’s a ghost.”

“Wow.”

Adrian laughed as they began to walk out of the theatre. “Come on, I’ll get you an ice cream.”

It was a short interval but the four of them spent most of it talking and praising the show, dancing and costumes while Adrian gave Marinette a more detailed account of the first act and a few heads up the second but even then Marinette was still lost when they made their way back to their seats for the second part. For the next hour they watched the beautiful but haunting ghost dancers as they graced the stage and danced, watching as Annamarie stepped in to protect the male dancers before finally with the rising sun, was allowed to rest in peace.

The curtains fell at the end and the whole theatre jumped to their feet, clapping in admiration of the dancers. The assembly took their bows together before the two male leads took their bow, standing to the side as Annamarie came out, grinning as the crowd grew even louder, men letting out whistles and cheering as she bowed several times before being presented with a bouquet and bowing again.

The curtains finally fell silent and the audience left for the post show reception, drinks and snacks being served by several waiters and waitresses while they talked and praised the performance. After half an hour, the assembly performers came out to yet another round of applause before the madam of the school stepped up to a podium and began a quick speech about how proud she was of her school and thankful for the dedication of those present until she finally lifted her head and nodded; “Our show would be nothing without you all and your continuous support. And, today, allow me to introduce our leads in this season; Louie Alard and our new prima ballerina, Mademoiselle Annamarie Tolrana.”

At their name, the two teens stepped up to the stage and bowed to the masses as they gave them even more ovation, the young man in a dashing suit and Annamarie in a pale green dress, similar in colour to her every day one but this was floor length with long dark green lace sleeves and a lace bodice while in the middle of her chest was a round sparkling diamond like jewel.

In the crowd, Alya leant over to the side. “Wow Mari, you out did yourself!”

On stage, the pair took a small bow then went into the masses, Annamarie being diverted by the director and teacher to ensure she spoke to the right people but as she slowly worked her way around to the people she really wanted to speak to, the girls instantly wrapping their arms around her.

“Annamarie you were amazing!” Alya laughed then looked over her. “And Marinette, that dress is amazing.”

The two girls blushed at the praise but Annamarie picked up the hem of her dress and nodded. “It is beautiful Marinette, I’ve lost track of how many people have commented on it. Thank you.”

Adrian nodded. “You all look beautiful tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen lovelier dresses or girls in them.”

All three of them blushed at the compliment before Nino laughed. “But Annamarie, whoa… you were amazing… I’ve never seen a ballet before but… whoa!”

“She was perfect.” Came a voice and the teenagers turned to see an older gentleman joining them. He was dressed in a black and white tuxedo with a white flower on the front pocket, a cane in his hand and a bright look in his grey eyes.

Clearly recognising the man, Annamarie instantly gave a ballet styled bow to him, her head lowered to the ground. “Senor Roberto.”

The man nodded in return. “I heard rumours that a Tolrana had taken to the stage once more so I came to see if they were true. I see now that they indeed are.” He smiled to the dancer, holding out his hand for hers, something she quickly granted and allowed him to kiss the back. “You have your mother’s style and grace, Annamarie. And with some additional training, you could surpass her with ease.”

“Thank you sir. It’s an honour to meet you in person.” Annamarie explained as she smiled.

He gave her a kind nod back. “The honour is mine young lady. You have a great deal of potential inside you. That is why I would like to offer you a place in my school.”

Annamarie’s eyes widened and she took a small gasp of air. “You… your school? You want me to… go to your school… in Italy?” She paused but then frowned and looked away. “I’m flattered sir, I really am. Even more that you would come make this offer to me in person but… I must decline.”

“I see… any reason why?”

She gave a small smile then shrugged a shoulder. “These guys.”

The four looked stunned at her statement, Senor just as amazed as the others. “Oh?”

“The reason I danced so well tonight was because I knew they were watching.” She glanced back and smiled at them. “At the moment, no matter how hard I try, I could never perform as well as I did tonight again. So while I would be delighted to go to your school… I must decline because my heart is here, in Paris.”

“This isn’t an open invitation, Annamarie.” The teacher said with a frown. “I will not make this offer again.”

“I understand. But I’m going to stay here.”

He frowned but then hummed slightly and walked away, leaving the others in a stunned expression. “Annamarie… are you sure about this?”

She nodded and held Marinette’s hands “Yes. I’m sure. My place is here, with you… and besides, Senor Roberto’s school is a great school but I’m not ready to leave Paris yet.” She gave them all a wink. “He’ll ask me again when I can perform as well as tonight without you guys.”

They all smiled and congratulated her again, going on to enjoy the reception together, a thankfully uneventful night for the group of secret heroes. As the group laughed together, Annamarie felt someone tap at her shoulder and turned, beaming even more as Louie joined them.

He smiled at her then turned to address the group. “Did you enjoy the show?” He asked calmly.

“It was amazing!”“

“You were both so beautiful.”

“Best. Night. EVER!”

“I’m so glad we came.”

Annamarie nodded. “It was brilliant Louie.”

He smiled a little more at her then coughed. “Umm, Annamarie, could… could I speak to you in private please?”

“Sure.” She said, casually shrugging and stepping away from the others.

Louie glanced over his shoulder as Alya gave him a big thumbs up and Adrian gave him a knowing wink. Was he really that obvious?

The two dancers slowly made their way out of the reception and up to a balcony at the roof of the building via a fire escape. There was a balcony below them but some of the guests were there and they wanted to be alone.

Leaning on the rail, Annamarie sighed with relief and let the cool air wash over her. “That feels nice.” She commented. “I was getting really hot in there with all those people in there.”

He nodded, pulling his tie loose from his collar. “Yeah. I needed some fresh air too.”

“And I’m not sure about you but my wrist hurts from shaking hands so much.” She laughed, rubbing it. “Honestly, so many people wanted to talk to me today.”

“Well, you were amazing out there.”

“You were just as amazing Louie, don’t sell yourself short.”

He smiled and they fell silent for a bit, just looking out over the city. Annamarie carefully tucked a strand of hair over her ear and sighed. “Receptions were never this good in England. I’d get a few ‘well done’s and a bunch of flowers then be sent off home. Here… I really feel like a Prima. Tonight has just been… miraculous.”

Louie chuckled at her choice of words. “Well, you’re _ _miraculous__ as well Annamarie. And you look stunning tonight.”

Picking the skirt up a little, the dancer nodded. “Marinette is really talented. It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe she made this for me.”

“You’d look good in anything.” Louie mumbled before looking back over the city. After a bit, he gulped and nodded. “I’m looking forward to dancing with you again Annamarie. You’re really talented.”

“We make a great team.” She complimented back, brushing her shoulder on his as a breeze covered them and they enjoyed the refreshing sensation.

Louie couldn’t take his eyes off his co-star and gradually built up the courage to take hold of her hand beside him.

She glanced at it and smiled before sighing and stepping away, still holding his hand. “We should head back inside. People will wonder where we are.”

Louie stepped to follow but then dragged his heels and pulled her to a stop. “Wait… Ann… Annamarie… I… I umm… I wanted to tell you that… that umm…” He blushed and looked away but still held her hand tight.

With a cheerful smile, the dancer stepped back over to him and carelessly kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow will be just as amazing as tonight.” She said then pulled him back into the reception.

As they made their way back towards Marinette and friends, Annamarie was caught by a couple of admirers wanting a picture so Louie carried on alone.

Instantly the four turned to face him. “So?” Alya asked instantly. “How’d it go?”

He sighed and dropped his head. “I choked.” He confessed. “I couldn’t tell her. All we talked about was the show.”

“Ah man, that’s rough.”

“What’s rough?”

The group turned to Annamarie as she joined them again, a glass in each hand, passing one to Louie. Adrian quickly cleared his voice. “Um, just how you guys are going to cope with school and the show. Must be rough.”

“Says the guy with seven afterschool activities and a job as a model?” She teased back. “We cope, don’t worry.”

Louie smiled at her side as he drank and touched his cheek while the rest of the group internally moaned at her obliviousness.


	23. Chapter 23 - Ill

Fanning herself with her hand, Annamarie sighed, glancing up at the cloudless sky as she waited. Summer was well and truly upon them and it was burning! She’d been brought up in England, sunshine for most of the year was a new experience to her!

The school was shut for the holidays but some school clubs were still meeting and Marinette had taken the chance to pick up a book from her locker before the two of them headed off to the park for a street performance.

With a sigh, she glanced around, wondering where her friend was when she spotted Kim by the window with a large bucket, filling it up.

 __Maybe he’s in some kind of club.__ She thought before noticing Chloe and Sabrina by the school steps, hidden behind the pillar and watching the entrance with a clear malicious look just as Marinette appeared.

It all clicked into place as Kim opened the window, looking down on Chloe who held up her hand, Annamarie moving before she knew it and then was suddenly soaked and frozen, shivering while the teenagers laughed at her.

Apart from Marinette who had been pushed out of the way of the downpour as she stepped over to her. “Annamarie?”

She coughed a few times into her hand, her whole body shivering. “I’m alright.”

“You’re soaking wet! Come on, my homes not far.” She rubbed her shoulder gently. “We need to get you dried off.” The baker’s daughter carefully ushered her down the road, pausing only to pick up her bag that had been dropped.

Annamarie barely said a word as they walked, her feet making wet ‘squelching’ sound with each step and her whole body shook in the cold. Finally they got to the bakery and headed inside, Tom and Sabine stopping in shock at the soaked girl but their daughter just ushered her upstairs. “Here. Go have a shower and warm up. I’ll get you a change of clothes.”

The dancer smiled slightly as she stepped into the bathroom, taking off her soaked clothes, she placed them in the sink and carefully placed her miraculous it on the side before getting in. The hot water stung against her cold skin but once she felt warm enough, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel just before a knock came to the door. “Hey, you okay in there?”

She let out a breath and opened the door. “Yeah. I’m alright.”

Looking over her, the teen didn’t look convinced but held out a small pile of clothes. “These… should fit you.”

“Thanks Mari.”

“Give me yours and I’ll get them dried for you.”

They traded and Annamarie changed into the warm grey tracksuit and hoodie but as she pulled the top on, she found herself swaying on the spot, light headed suddenly. When it stopped, she reached for the door and headed for Marinette’s room but as she entered, she realised the bright lights were hurting her and she swayed. “Mari? I… I don’t feel so good.”

Quickly at her side, Marinette placed her hand on her forehead and gasped. “You’re burning up!”

The dancer frowned before quickly reaching out, her balance vanishing in seconds but luckily Marinette had hold of her and helped lie her down on the lounger, looking at her carefully. She’d lost all the colour from her face and it was clear she was having trouble breathing, not to mention how she shivered uncontrollably. Panicking, Marinette ran to the trap door and opened it. “MOM! Annamarie’s sick! I need you!”

In seconds Sabine Dupain-Cheng appeared from downstairs, looking at Annamarie as she curled up on the sofa. “Oh dear…” She hurried over. “Mari, go and get the blankets.”

Annamarie managed to open her eyes for a moment then winced at the pain. “I… I should go home.”

“Nonsense. You are in no state to move. I will call your mother and let her know but for now you need to get warm and sleep.”

Marinette came back a second later with a couple of pillows and blankets. “Mama, papa he needs you in the shop.”

“Alright.” They said, covering her up. “Marinette, keep her still and warm alright? And shout if you need me.”

“Of course.”

“And Annamarie, don’t you _ _dare__ leave that bed, understand.”

“Yes madam.”

With a smile she left the pair of teens alone while Marinette propped a pillow under her head. “You’re going to be alright.” She promised while tucking her in.

“How… how can I… get sick… so… so quick?”

“I don’t know but hopefully you can get better just as quick. Come on, just get some sleep okay?”

She nodded, curling up in a ball and quickly falling asleep. Marinette used the time to call the girl’s mother and it turned out that Estella was going to be late back from work so asked if the Dupain-Cheng’s could look after Annamarie for her. They happily agreed and Annamarie slept most of the rest of the day while Marinette got on with some designing work.

She did notice that Tikki was abnormally quite but she guessed she didn’t want to risk being seen or heard by Annamarie. The afternoon turned to evening and Annamarie showed no sign of waking up and Marinette knew she should leave for patrol with Peacock and Chat Noir but she couldn’t abandon her friend.

It wasn’t vital she went, the others could handle it, but not being able to tell them did worry her. Deciding to distract herself, she turned the lights down to their dimmest setting and climbed onto the balcony where Annamarie’s clothes had been drying, folding them up for her. Just as she did, she noticed something dark jump over the roofs just away from her and turned, waving her arm in the air. “Chat Noir!” She called out.

He did stop and after looking at her from the other side of the street, came over, leaping onto her balcony with a devilish smirk. “Well, hello there princess. What can this knight do for you?”

“Actually, I have a message for you. Ladybug wanted me to tell you she wasn’t able to join you tonight. Said something came up.”

Chat nodded a few times. “Guessed that was the case when she didn’t turn up tonight. She didn’t happen to say something about Peacock, did she? She didn’t turn up either.”

Marinette tried not to show her worry and shrugged. “No, sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m sure they are just busy.”

Marinette nodded before suddenly turning as she heard a loud cough from the trap door, hurrying inside and over to Annamarie, rubbing her back as she sat up. “Hey, just take it easy.”

“She alright?” Chat asked having followed her inside.

“She’s really sick.” The other explained. “Someone was going to dump a bucket of water on me but she got me out of the way… ended up taking it herself.”

The cat smiled softly as he stepped over and knelt at the other side. “Hey. How you doing there Pretty Dancer?”

She looked over at him, her face pale and her eyes bleary. “Chat… Noir?”

“Yeah. Hear you took a bullet for Marinette. That was really brave of you.”

“What… friends for?” she managed a weak smile before coughing again, the action making her go even more light headed.

Running his clawed hand over her forehead, Chat frowned. “Me-wow, you’re really hot and I don’t mean in like me! Come on, lie back down.”

She didn’t have the strength to moan at his pun, just curled back under the covers as the superhero tucked her in and brushed her hair comfortingly. Once sure she was asleep, Chat finally stood and headed back outside. “Thanks for looking after her Marinette. Do… you need any medicine or anything?”

Smiling at his thoughtfulness, Marinette shook her head. “We’re okay kitty.”

“Alright. Well, I know you’ll be a great nurse.” He stepped to the railing and climbed up. “And take care of yourself Princess.” He said, giving her a mock salute then jumping off into the distance. Marinette watched him disappear from view then went back to the job at hand.

Come morning, Annamarie’s fever had broken and her colour had returned, her head no longer as unbalanced as before, able to stomach a breakfast with the rest of the family she’d unintentionally stayed with. When she and Marinette returned back upstairs, they noticed two bunches of flowers on the sofa, both with cards.

 __To the purr-fect nurse.__ One said.

 __Hope you are feline better.__ Was on the other.

Both teens groaned at the puns but had to smile at the gifts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… some of you might be asking why it's been a while since I updated... well, it’s quite a personal and sadder reason;
> 
> When I started writing this story, I was not alone. I had my co-writer with me, the person who inspired the story to begin with; D-chan but I always called her Birdie, after the bird she helped inspire. While we started only chatting as we worked on the story we became really good friends, able to talk about anything that was bothering us and share our troubles.
> 
> In August, she told me she was going to see her grandma and I didn't hear from her again.
> 
> A few months ago, found out that she had been involved in a car crash and killed.
> 
> I never met her, never even knew what she looked like but she was my friend and I lost her.
> 
> For a very long time I couldn't open the Turning a Feather file on my computer or even think about writing more without tearing up. This was our story and I didn't know if I could or should continue it without her.
> 
> With the amazing reviews and support I've had since declaring I wouldn't finish, I've thought long and hard about it and decided D-Chan would want me to finish.
> 
> She would want our work to be shared.
> 
> So yes, I am going to finish Turning a Feather and Feather’s Flight. And I don’t care if I don’t get reviews or anything. I just want this story to be a tribute to the wonderful, brave and inspiring woman that D-Chan was.
> 
> Bye-bye little Birdie.
> 
> May you have your own wings now and I hope you enjoy what we made.


	24. Chapter 25 - Reunited

Adrian sighed as he climbed into the back of the car, running a hand back in his hair out of exhaustion. That photo shoot just did not want to end. It was so bad he might end up playing hookie with the girls tonight so he could get some sleep. He sighed again as the car began to move and gazed aimlessly out the window before suddenly sitting forward, blinking in amazement but as the car moved on, what he had seen was already gone.

Sitting back, he frowned, trying to think. _ _Must have been a trick of the light.__ He finally decided but could not get the image out of his head. He was so sure. It was even bothering him when he went to school the next day, his face a constant frown as he climbed out of the car. 

His DJ best friend laughed at him as he went up the steps. “Ah, man, what’s with the face? You look like you’re on the verge of a scientific breakthrough.”

Adrian sighed as he looked around. “You’re going to think I’m crazy but… I think I saw my mom yesterday.”

His friend blinked. “What? Really?”

“I’m not totally sure but… it looked like her.”

“Adrian, did I just hear you right?” Annamarie asked as she happened to be walking past. “You… you think you saw your mom?”

“I don’t know.” Adrian confessed. “I think I did… but… if it was her… why didn’t she… say something?”

Annamarie didn’t say anything, just frowned and looked around the building and the street while the boys headed inside. For the next few hours, Annamarie thought and wondered about it all until the lunch bell rang, at which point she grabbed her bag and began to run across the city, sprinting towards a small café overlooking the river, a building with small red and white umbrellas out front.

She’d been there before, not long after she moved to Paris. After all, they made a mean strawberry frappe. Or at least, that was what she’d been told by the blonde woman as she sat at one of the tables with said drink, gazing up at the sunny sky.

Panting for breath, Annamarie hurried forward. “Sophia!” She called.

The blonde turned to her with a surprised look before standing and welcoming her with a hug and a chuckle. “I should have known you’d know where to find me.”

Hugging her for a moment, Annamarie stepped back and blinked. “I… I don’t understand! What are you doing here?”

She sighed as she sat back down. “I couldn’t believe it when I got your letter. That you found Adrian. So… so I had to come and see for myself.”

“But why hide? I mean, Adrian saw you and now… now thinks he’s going crazy. You should go speak to him.”

“It’s not safe Annamarie and you know that.” She sighed and picked up her drink, taking a long sip before putting it back down. “But… I just had to see my son.”

As she spoke, her lower lip began to tremble and her friend instantly held her hand. “I’m so sorry Sophia.”

Squeezing her hand back, she let out a deep breath. “It’s alright. At least I saw him. And besides, I get to see you again. And our little blue friend.”

At the word, the kwami flew out from Annamarie’s bag and up into the other’s neck, nuzzling her. “Sooopphhhhiiaaaa!” Froufrou whined as he hugged her. “I’ve missed you! Oh it’s so good to see you again!” He flew back and grinned. “Did you bring me anything to eat?”

Sophia laughed as she hugged the bird. “Sorry Frou, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

The peacock huffed, arms folded. “Oh I see, so a few months away and you forget all about me? Is that how it is? Well, lucky for you, Annamarie is more prepared than you.”

The two women just laughed before deciding to have a peaceful lunch together at the café; talking until it was time for Annamarie to get back to school. One last hug and they parted, the teen running off while the other remained at the café before picking up her purse and walked away.

* * *

Standing by his window, Fu let out a deep contemplating breath while his mind was far away, brought back at a gentle knock at his door. Quickly he glanced at his clock and held back a sigh. His next client wasn’t due for another twenty minutes.

Slowly he made his way to the middle of the room and got himself into a meditating pose with his eyes closed. “Come in.” He said softly.

The door opened and closed before a musical laugh filled the air. “Oh, you haven’t changed a bit Fu.”

Opening his eyes quickly, the old man blinked in amazement at the tall beautiful blonde woman before him. “Sophia? But… I thought you left Paris.”

“I did but something urgent has happened that has brought me back. I would come back later but your receptionist said you were free and we do need to talk about it.”

“For you my dear, anything. Please, sit. Would you care for some tea?”

Kneeling on a cushion, the woman nodded. “Please.”

As she did, a small green head appeared from inside the gramophone before floating over to their guest and bowing to her. “Madam Sophia, it is good to see you once more.”

“And you Wayzz.” The woman said, bowing back. “I hope you are well.”

“As I can be. Thank you for asking.” He explained then sat on the floor across from her.

Fu nodded as he knelt down and passed over a tall cup of tea to the woman and a smaller thimble sized one to his kwami. “So… this urgent business of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with the new Miraculous flying around Paris would you the last few months? I was quite surprised when I realised you had found a successor.”

“It does.” Sophia said with a nod. “A few days ago I had a horrible dream. I dreamt I was Peacock once more and I was fighting… against myself. I knew it meant the peacock miraculous was in danger so I came to investigate.”

Fu frowned at the news. “You wore the Peacock for over 20 years Sophia, your bond with it is as strong as my own. If something was wrong, _ _you__ would be the person to know.”

“Yes but when I went to see my chosen, she was fine. Both her and Froufrou were healthy and happy and the miraculous was safe. There was no reason why I should have had this… premonition if you will, that something was wrong. That is why I came straight to you.”

Fu frowned then looked at Wayzz. “This is most disturbing. I’ve never heard of this before.”

“Nor have I.” The little turtle added as he took a drink.

Sophia shrugged and looked down at her cup. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.” She suggested and took a sip before blenching back. “Geerr. You know Fu, for a man in his 180s, you _ _really__ should learn how to make a good cup of tea.”

The old man chuckled. “You never change Sophia. But as for the matter of the miraculous, I am not certain. It is concerning, I will confess but I have reason to believe that the cat and ladybug have grown strong enough that The Change will be upon them soon.” He took a sip of his own tea. “Perhaps it is something to do with that?”

“The Change? So soon?” Sophia asked, doubt clear in her voice. “I mean, yes the red and black are the strongest of the miraculous but they have been worn for just over a year. It was _ _four_ _ years before I made The Change. Are you sure they are ready?”

“I believe so but the stones will lead them should it be true.” He confirmed with a nod. “But I am not sure about your peacock.”

“My girl still has a long way to go. I knew that when I saw her, but she will get there. Ladybug and Chat Noir will help her.”

“I trust your judgement Sophia. If I trust anyone, it is you.”

“That’s why we are sat here as civilians and not in skin tight blue and green suits.” She laughed, taking another sip of tea before putting it back down with a twisted expression. “How much sugar did you put in here?”

Fu chuckled and went back to his drink before nodding. “So, your new charge? What made you sure of her?”

“Her name is Annamarie Tolrana and… well, it’s complicated. You see, when I first saw her she was being bullied by some other girls. They saw her as an outcast, not fitting in with them because of her family and skills as a ballet dancer.” Sophia sighed as she continued with her story. “I followed her for a few days, watched as she went to school and saw how they treated her there… and I watched how her family was tearing itself apart around her. The girl was so alone and she never stood up for herself, she just accepted it. I knew I had to do something to help her. Then… one night I saw her by the river.”

Fu blinked. “You mean…”

“She was going to jump.” Sophia confirmed. “She was going to… give up. That was when I knew I had to act then and there.”

“You interfered?” The wise Chinese man said with a frown.

“Not as Peacock but as myself. And we became friends.”

“I am glad you could save her. But still don’t see a reason why you gave her the miraculous. That much power to someone who is clearly… unbalanced? It could have been another Hawk Moth situation.”

“I know. And at that time I wasn’t sure she would be my successor. But that all changed.” Sophia’s smile fell as she became serious. “You see, her father was selling fake medication to people and even sold some in her school. When someone in her school fell dangerously ill because of them, Annamarie knew the medicine had come from her father and made the brave choice to turn him in to the police.” She nodded to the pair. “That was when I knew she was the right one. To stand up for what is right like that, against her own flesh and blood. I knew she had what was needed to be a miraculous. It would be hard, she had so little self-esteem so I was going to train her, show her how to be a peacock but her mother told me she was moving to Paris. I didn’t have time to prepare her but I gave her the miraculous anyway as I knew that Frou and the others would look after her.”

Master Fu nodded. “Indeed, when you explain it like that, she sounds like the right candidate for the peacock.”

“She is. She will make us all proud, I know she will.” Sophia let out a breath and looked out the window for a moment then grinned and turned back. “Sooo? Who’d you choose for Plagg and Tikki?”

The old man smiled. “I’m not telling.”

“Oooh come on Fu!” Sophia whined, sitting back and pouting. “Don’t be a spoil sport. I told you who I chose.”

“I know. But they wish to remain secret and I shall honour that wish.”

Wayzz nodded from his seat beside them, lifting his cup to his lips. “Even if one is your son.”

The two adults turned to look at him, Fu with horror while Sophia with joy as she let out a high pitched squeal. “Adrian is Chat Noir! My Adrian! Oh! I knew he was destined for greatness!”

Fu sighed as he rubbed his brow. “For a wise turtle, Wayzz you really need to learn how to keep silent.”

Wayzz blinked innocently. “Was it something I said?”

Sophia laughed. “So Adrian is the charge of destruction and independence? So who did you pick for luck and creation?” Fu folded his arms and looked away but the blonde just smiled. “You might as well tell me or I will just ask Wayzz. Come on Fu, don’t keep all the fun from me.”

He sighed in defeat. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Sophia froze on the spot. “Oh.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng… the baker’s daughter? She’s friends with my Annamarie and Adrian… and she told me that Marinette has a crush on Adrian… and Chat Noir… who is Adrian… has a crush on Ladybug… who is Marinette… so…” She sat still then let out another girlish squeal, hands clasped. “It’s so perfect! Those two are made for each other!” She continued to laugh like a little girl while the two men just looked confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, good job I have alerts on my calendar or I would have missed todays update completely!
> 
> Well, I am on the late shift at work today so please give me all the warm fuzzy reviews you can! Believe me, I need them this week.   
> Also, check out the new Flock of Feathers story for a bonus chapter to the Disney Chapter and other mini stories, alternative endings, deleted scenes and bonuses from Turning a Feather and anything related to Miraculous Ladybug.!


	25. Chapter 25 - Reunited

Adrian sighed as he climbed into the back of the car, running a hand back in his hair out of exhaustion. That photo shoot just did not want to end. It was so bad he might end up playing hookie with the girls tonight so he could get some sleep. He sighed again as the car began to move and gazed aimlessly out the window before suddenly sitting forward, blinking in amazement but as the car moved on, what he had seen was already gone.

Sitting back, he frowned, trying to think. _ _Must have been a trick of the light.__ He finally decided but could not get the image out of his head. He was so sure. It was even bothering him when he went to school the next day, his face a constant frown as he climbed out of the car. 

His DJ best friend laughed at him as he went up the steps. “Ah, man, what’s with the face? You look like you’re on the verge of a scientific breakthrough.”

Adrian sighed as he looked around. “You’re going to think I’m crazy but… I think I saw my mom yesterday.”

His friend blinked. “What? Really?”

“I’m not totally sure but… it looked like her.”

“Adrian, did I just hear you right?” Annamarie asked as she happened to be walking past. “You… you think you saw your mom?”

“I don’t know.” Adrian confessed. “I think I did… but… if it was her… why didn’t she… say something?”

Annamarie didn’t say anything, just frowned and looked around the building and the street while the boys headed inside. For the next few hours, Annamarie thought and wondered about it all until the lunch bell rang, at which point she grabbed her bag and began to run across the city, sprinting towards a small café overlooking the river, a building with small red and white umbrellas out front.

She’d been there before, not long after she moved to Paris. After all, they made a mean strawberry frappe. Or at least, that was what she’d been told by the blonde woman as she sat at one of the tables with said drink, gazing up at the sunny sky.

Panting for breath, Annamarie hurried forward. “Sophia!” She called.

The blonde turned to her with a surprised look before standing and welcoming her with a hug and a chuckle. “I should have known you’d know where to find me.”

Hugging her for a moment, Annamarie stepped back and blinked. “I… I don’t understand! What are you doing here?”

She sighed as she sat back down. “I couldn’t believe it when I got your letter. That you found Adrian. So… so I had to come and see for myself.”

“But why hide? I mean, Adrian saw you and now… now thinks he’s going crazy. You should go speak to him.”

“It’s not safe Annamarie and you know that.” She sighed and picked up her drink, taking a long sip before putting it back down. “But… I just had to see my son.”

As she spoke, her lower lip began to tremble and her friend instantly held her hand. “I’m so sorry Sophia.”

Squeezing her hand back, she let out a deep breath. “It’s alright. At least I saw him. And besides, I get to see you again. And our little blue friend.”

At the word, the kwami flew out from Annamarie’s bag and up into the other’s neck, nuzzling her. “Sooopphhhhiiaaaa!” Froufrou whined as he hugged her. “I’ve missed you! Oh it’s so good to see you again!” He flew back and grinned. “Did you bring me anything to eat?”

Sophia laughed as she hugged the bird. “Sorry Frou, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

The peacock huffed, arms folded. “Oh I see, so a few months away and you forget all about me? Is that how it is? Well, lucky for you, Annamarie is more prepared than you.”

The two women just laughed before deciding to have a peaceful lunch together at the café; talking until it was time for Annamarie to get back to school. One last hug and they parted, the teen running off while the other remained at the café before picking up her purse and walked away.

(LINE)

Standing by his window, Fu let out a deep contemplating breath while his mind was far away, brought back at a gentle knock at his door. Quickly he glanced at his clock and held back a sigh. His next client wasn’t due for another twenty minutes.

Slowly he made his way to the middle of the room and got himself into a meditating pose with his eyes closed. “Come in.” He said softly.

The door opened and closed before a musical laugh filled the air. “Oh, you haven’t changed a bit Fu.”

Opening his eyes quickly, the old man blinked in amazement at the tall beautiful blonde woman before him. “Sophia? But… I thought you left Paris.”

“I did but something urgent has happened that has brought me back. I would come back later but your receptionist said you were free and we do need to talk about it.”

“For you my dear, anything. Please, sit. Would you care for some tea?”

Kneeling on a cushion, the woman nodded. “Please.”

As she did, a small green head appeared from inside the gramophone before floating over to their guest and bowing to her. “Madam Sophia, it is good to see you once more.”

“And you Wayzz.” The woman said, bowing back. “I hope you are well.”

“As I can be. Thank you for asking.” He explained then sat on the floor across from her.

Fu nodded as he knelt down and passed over a tall cup of tea to the woman and a smaller thimble sized one to his kwami. “So… this urgent business of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with the new Miraculous flying around Paris would you the last few months? I was quite surprised when I realised you had found a successor.”

“It does.” Sophia said with a nod. “A few days ago I had a horrible dream. I dreamt I was Peacock once more and I was fighting… against myself. I knew it meant the peacock miraculous was in danger so I came to investigate.”

Fu frowned at the news. “You wore the Peacock for over 20 years Sophia, your bond with it is as strong as my own. If something was wrong, _ _you__ would be the person to know.”

“Yes but when I went to see my chosen, she was fine. Both her and Froufrou were healthy and happy and the miraculous was safe. There was no reason why I should have had this… premonition if you will, that something was wrong. That is why I came straight to you.”

Fu frowned then looked at Wayzz. “This is most disturbing. I’ve never heard of this before.”

“Nor have I.” The little turtle added as he took a drink.

Sophia shrugged and looked down at her cup. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.” She suggested and took a sip before blenching back. “Geerr. You know Fu, for a man in his 180s, you _ _really__ should learn how to make a good cup of tea.”

The old man chuckled. “You never change Sophia. But as for the matter of the miraculous, I am not certain. It is concerning, I will confess but I have reason to believe that the cat and ladybug have grown strong enough that The Change will be upon them soon.” He took a sip of his own tea. “Perhaps it is something to do with that?”

“The Change? So soon?” Sophia asked, doubt clear in her voice. “I mean, yes the red and black are the strongest of the miraculous but they have been worn for just over a year. It was _ _four_ _ years before I made The Change. Are you sure they are ready?”

“I believe so but the stones will lead them should it be true.” He confirmed with a nod. “But I am not sure about your peacock.”

“My girl still has a long way to go. I knew that when I saw her, but she will get there. Ladybug and Chat Noir will help her.”

“I trust your judgement Sophia. If I trust anyone, it is you.”

“That’s why we are sat here as civilians and not in skin tight blue and green suits.” She laughed, taking another sip of tea before putting it back down with a twisted expression. “How much sugar did you put in here?”

Fu chuckled and went back to his drink before nodding. “So, your new charge? What made you sure of her?”

“Her name is Annamarie Tolrana and… well, it’s complicated. You see, when I first saw her she was being bullied by some other girls. They saw her as an outcast, not fitting in with them because of her family and skills as a ballet dancer.” Sophia sighed as she continued with her story. “I followed her for a few days, watched as she went to school and saw how they treated her there… and I watched how her family was tearing itself apart around her. The girl was so alone and she never stood up for herself, she just accepted it. I knew I had to do something to help her. Then… one night I saw her by the river.”

Fu blinked. “You mean…”

“She was going to jump.” Sophia confirmed. “She was going to… give up. That was when I knew I had to act then and there.”

“You interfered?” The wise Chinese man said with a frown.

“Not as Peacock but as myself. And we became friends.”

“I am glad you could save her. But still don’t see a reason why you gave her the miraculous. That much power to someone who is clearly… unbalanced? It could have been another Hawk Moth situation.”

“I know. And at that time I wasn’t sure she would be my successor. But that all changed.” Sophia’s smile fell as she became serious. “You see, her father was selling fake medication to people and even sold some in her school. When someone in her school fell dangerously ill because of them, Annamarie knew the medicine had come from her father and made the brave choice to turn him in to the police.” She nodded to the pair. “That was when I knew she was the right one. To stand up for what is right like that, against her own flesh and blood. I knew she had what was needed to be a miraculous. It would be hard, she had so little self-esteem so I was going to train her, show her how to be a peacock but her mother told me she was moving to Paris. I didn’t have time to prepare her but I gave her the miraculous anyway as I knew that Frou and the others would look after her.”

Master Fu nodded. “Indeed, when you explain it like that, she sounds like the right candidate for the peacock.”

“She is. She will make us all proud, I know she will.” Sophia let out a breath and looked out the window for a moment then grinned and turned back. “Sooo? Who’d you choose for Plagg and Tikki?”

The old man smiled. “I’m not telling.”

“Oooh come on Fu!” Sophia whined, sitting back and pouting. “Don’t be a spoil sport. I told you who I chose.”

“I know. But they wish to remain secret and I shall honour that wish.”

Wayzz nodded from his seat beside them, lifting his cup to his lips. “Even if one is your son.”

The two adults turned to look at him, Fu with horror while Sophia with joy as she let out a high pitched squeal. “Adrian is Chat Noir! My Adrian! Oh! I knew he was destined for greatness!”

Fu sighed as he rubbed his brow. “For a wise turtle, Wayzz you really need to learn how to keep silent.”

Wayzz blinked innocently. “Was it something I said?”

Sophia laughed. “So Adrian is the charge of destruction and independence? So who did you pick for luck and creation?” Fu folded his arms and looked away but the blonde just smiled. “You might as well tell me or I will just ask Wayzz. Come on Fu, don’t keep all the fun from me.”

He sighed in defeat. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Sophia froze on the spot. “Oh.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng… the baker’s daughter? She’s friends with my Annamarie and Adrian… and she told me that Marinette has a crush on Adrian… and Chat Noir… who is Adrian… has a crush on Ladybug… who is Marinette… so…” She sat still then let out another girlish squeal, hands clasped. “It’s so perfect! Those two are made for each other!” She continued to laugh like a little girl while the two men just looked confused.


	26. Chapter 26 - Sacre-Coeur

It was a sunny day and the schools were broken up for a long weekend so Annamarie and her girlfriends had arranged to do something most Parisians never considered. They became tourists.

They brought a tour book and highlighted all of the major attractions in Paris and spent most of the day going from one attraction to another before they found one that none of them had been to before. The shining white church of Sacre-Coeur.

Climbing up the 270 steps had been exhausting but they made it and after a tour of the insides of the church, the three girls took it in turns to take photos and film themselves around the building, posing or anything that came to mind. After a few hours they stopped for an ice cream and watched a few street performers, taking a break with Annamarie sitting on a bench with the tour book as she read and Marinette with her sketch book and took in some inspiration of the building and its breath-taking interior.

Alya meanwhile decided to make a fake infomercial for the church, filming her way around the building until she thought she had enough footage, she decided to watch it all back when suddenly noticed something.

Her eyes widened as she scrubbed over the footage, zoomed in and cleared the image up as best she could. She almost fainted when she saw it and ran over to her friends. “Guys!” She said pale faced. “Umm… do you see what I see?”

The two looked at the phone and the footage as, just over Alya’s shoulder as she spoke about the church, was a small dark shape flying from the building, small enough to be a bird but its movements were more insect like. The two stared in amazement, not able to believe what they were seeing.

An Akuma.

Leaving Sacre-Coeur.

Alya looked at her own footage once more. “I’d recognise those bugs anywhere.”

“Alya.” Annamarie said, trying to keep herself calm. “You have to upload that footage to the Ladyblog right now. Ladybug and Chat Noir need to know what you’ve found.”

“And Peacock.” Marinette added. “She needs to know too.”

“Yeah.” Peacock covered, clearing her voice. “This… is game changing Alya. Everyone has been looking for the source of the Akumas for months and you… you might have found it.”

“Right.” Alya said, already tapping at the screen before frowning. “Ahh! Not enough signal. I need to get this to my computer and upload it.”

“We should all head home anyway.” Marinette suggested, the three of them already on the move.

Alya ran the other way as quickly as she could, Annamarie glancing back at the church. “Hope those guys are ready. I’m sure Hawk Moth will be ready for…” She stopped talking and slowed to an end, Marinette following her with confusion. “An Akuma… left the church. So… someone has been targeted.”

Marinette gulped as she also realised. “Maybe Alya will upload it before they go to fight.”

“Maybe. But… we should get out of here.”

“Right.”

The two of them ran off down the hill until they came to a path and they split up, opening their respected bags and released the two kwami. Seconds later, Peacock and Ladybug were swinging or flying out away from the church and into the distance, fortunate not to see each other until they had caught up with Chat Noir hurrying over the roof of Paris towards where the Akuma must have been.

The three of them all landed on the same roof almost simultaneously and looked a little amused at their actions, before Peacock’s face became serious. “Guys, before we go after the Akuma, I have to tell you something!”

“Me too!” Ladybug stated.

“I found Hawk Moth’s lair!” the two girls echoed before looking at each other with shock.

Chat looked between the two of them. “Ok… that was cool. But… how?”

“Alya. She caught footage of an Akuma.”

“Yes, leaving one of the domes of Sacre-Coeur!”

Chat blinked in amazement. “This is… huge!”

“But we need to be sure.”

“And we can’t let Hawk Moth know we are on to him.”

“So? What’s the plan my lady?”

Ladybug tapped a finger to her lips then looked at Peacock. “Can you create an illusion of yourself?”

“Yeah but… why?”

“Chat and I will go after the Akuma with the illusion of you. That way Hawk Moth will think all three of us are in his sights while you can go and check out the church.”

Peacock opened and closed her fan for a moment then nodded. “Well, I can make an illusion of myself that’s not a problem but it won’t be able to fight or speak and… once I create it, we will only have five minutes before it disappears and I turn back. If that happens while you are fighting the Akuma…”

“We will just have to be quick. But every second we waste here is a second Hawk Moth has to find out what we know and hide. We have to take this chance. Once you have found out Peacock, meet us at the Square Louise Michel, the park before the church. We will meet you there once the Akuma has been dealt with and we have recharged.” She paused and looked over them both. “And… we… we all need to be prepared. If he is there, we are going after Hawk Moth tonight. Agreed?”

Chat and Peacock looked at each other then at their leader before they both nodded. “We end this.”

“Tonight.”

“Right. Peacock, the illusion.”

She nodded, lifting her fan up and calling on the magic, concentrating it on the form of herself. Once she had, she didn’t waste a second, taking off into the sky and flying towards the church she’d just left. It was late afternoon by then and the sun was beginning to set but there were still tourists in the area. She had to be careful not to be seen. Attention was something she did not need right now.

She went around the back where there were less people and dropped to the stone, holding on tight as she hid between the columns and statues. Once sure no one had seen her, she began to climb over the church and investigate but before she moved, her miraculous bleeped in warning. _ _4 minutes.__ She realised.

She climbed as fast but carefully as she could, checking each side for anywhere the villain could be hiding. The east side came up with nothing as did the south side apart from a couple in the middle of a romantic proposal. Just as she heard her 3rd warning bleep, she heard someone talk.

“Get them! Get them and bring me their miraculous!”

Her eyes widened as she looked at where the voice had come from, one of the domes at the front of the church so she crouched low, trying to avoid the glass as she carefully edged around it until she came to a window, peering in. A round room filled with butterflies and a masked man as he glared angrily at the ground.

Hawk Moth.

She’d found him.

Her heart froze for a second but before she could risk him seeing her, she backed off and jumped quickly into the air, sweeping around the long way as she headed off towards the park. She managed to land in a tree a second before her transformation wore off completely, catching Froufrou in her hands and holding him tight. “We… we found him.” She gasped.

“Annamarie, are you sure you’re ready for this? Hawk Moth is a miraculous like you but a far older and stronger one. Are you really ready to fight him?”

“I have to be. For Chat and Ladybug.” She sighed, reaching to her bag and a small pot of grapes she kept there. “Here, eat up, you need your strength.”

The two sat in the tree for a few minutes, Annamarie watching the people as they left for the night. It was almost eight at night but she sat silently where she was, watching the church above her. Froufrou soon finished his meal but before she changed back, she smiled and hugged her kwami tight. “I’m so glad I met you Froufrou.”

“And I you Annamarie.”

“Right… let’s do this… Froufrou, Feathers Up!”


	27. Chapter 27 - Facing Hawk Moth

Transformed, Peacock waited for the others, glad she didn't have to wait too long as they came over towards her, Chat smiling to her. "We had about 10 seconds before 'you' vanished." He said proudly. "But more importantly, what about you? Did you find anything?"

Peacock took a deep breath and nodded. "The dome on the right at the front."

"You mean… you found him?"

"Yes."

The others were silent before Ladybug nodded. "We… still agree? We do this tonight?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Right. Then we go in together and do this together."

The three nodded and turned to the church before running towards it but so late at night, nearly no one was still around, however the famous attraction was lit up like a candle making it easy to see where they were walking, which helped the two without night vision. The light did make it impossible to sneak up so they went to the other side of the building and gradually worked around, Peacock leading the way since she knew where she was going, making slow progress to the window. As she got closer, she noticed something was in the way, a shield of some kind yet as she stepped forward, it moved, rotating out like an iris.

The three froze, expecting something to come for them but nothing happened.

Glancing over her shoulder, the brunette frowned at the others but they both nodded so they moved onwards and slipped through the missing glass window in the middle.

Then, together, they went inside.

White butterflies were fluttering all around them, almost glowing in the dark of the room since the only light was that from outside.

Peacock, Chat Noir and Ladybug stood, ready for the attack as they all focused on the tall broad figure in the middle of the room as he turned slowly and smiled coldly at them. "Well, this is an unwelcome surprise."

The heroes stood their ground, weapons ready in their hands. Ladybug finally took a small step forward. "This ends now Hawk Moth. Hand yourself in and surrender your miraculous."

Hawk Moth smirked, spinning his staff in his hands. "I don't think so Ladybug."

The trio tensed but then Chat and Peacock charged, Chat extending his staff and engaging the cane while Peacock took him on from the sides, their movements in time with each other so not to get in each other’s way. While it was clear that they didn't land a single strike, Hawk Moth's frown showed he was struggling to hold his ground against them both.

Meanwhile Ladybug stood back, looking for the Butterfly Miraculous and hoping for a chance to get to it, end this battle while she could. Just as she spotted the round purple stone at the top of his shirt, the Akuma's leader growled and pushed back harder than either Peacock or Chat expected, knocking them back a few steps.

"Enough!" He shouted, pointing towards Chat, an eclipse of white moths flying at speed towards the cat and clinging to his body and face, blinding him.

Peacock gasped as she saw her friend stagger back but then turned to their opponent as he came charging at her, swinging the cane around and slamming it into her side then up under her chin, sending her flying across the room and to the floor, sliding across the ground before coming to a stop.

"Peacock!" Ladybug shouted as she ran over to her but Hawk Moth saw it coming and intervened her movements, stepping over to fight Ladybug one on one, smiling as he attacked relentlessly. Her yo-yo came up to try and block his attacks but it was fruitless, he just kept coming, forcing her back and back.

Behind them, Chat finally managed to claw off the last of the insects and saw that his lady was being pounded on and Peacock was lying on the ground, appearing to be out cold. Grabbing his staff, the black cat charged, screaming a battle cry as he went, making Hawk Moth look at him.

The purple and grey man smirked and lifted one hand up, grabbing the staff just before it collided with his head before pulling it sharply out of the other’s hand and used it to slam into the cat's neck, knocking him back then hit the top of his head, the cat falling onto his back beside the blue.

Dropping the cat's toy, Hawk Moth turned to the last one standing. "Alone at last." He teased. "Now... why don't you save yourself some trouble and just give up now Ladybug."

"Never. I will never surrender to you!"

"Hard way it is then." He chuckled then returned to his relentless attacks, Ladybug only just able to defend herself, not a single attack being launched as she held her ground but each blow was making her back off step by step. When her foot pressed on something soft, she glanced down and saw she'd been herded back towards Peacock and Chat.

That glance was all Hawk Moth needed; he span his cane around and thrust it up into the teen's middle, making her buck forwards in pain and gasp for breath before the jewel collided with her back and she fell forwards to the floor, unconscious like her allies.

Hawk Moth chuckled as he looked over the three fallen heroes, his cane spinning in his grip as he walked around them. "How long you three have annoyed me. But now I can't help but wonder why I didn't just take you out myself before… I'm finding myself disappointed in you. You're amateurs. So, now, I will just take your miraculous and…" He stopped speaking, watching as one of them slowly pushed up.

Peacock, panting hard, glared at their archenemy and gradually made her way to her feet. Every muscle ached and her mind was spinning from being knocked out as she did but her eyes were fixed on her target. "Don't… come another… step." She managed between gasps, trying to steady her heart.

The masked man smirked at her. "Oh? The bird still stands?" He lifted his cane towards her, swinging it down once again.

Peacock ducked down under it, bringing her fist out and punching his exposed stomach but he just stepped away from her blow and kicked for her feet, knocking her down before swinging his cane like a club into her face, watching as she landed hard and groaned.

"Pathetic." He said with a shake of his head while moving towards the unconscious Ladybug but suddenly a blue fan knocked his hand away.

He watched it return to its owner as she forced herself to stand again, blood coming from her lip. "Stay away from them!"

The man turned his back on the others and faced her again. "Perhaps I was wrong about you, Peacock." He huffed, looking at her closer. "You know, I don't care about your miraculous; it's a second rate, unimportant token to power. But perhaps… I can use you. After all, you must be stronger than you look to still be standing after so much torture." His cane tapped on the ground and Peacock felt herself shiver uncontrollably. The other smirked and nodded. "Ah yes… I can feel it. As strong as you pretend to be… you're still scared. You fear they won't forgive you. That you will always be the outcast. That you failed. And you hate the pain it causes you."

Hands trembling with the effort to remain standing, Peacock just took short deep breaths and stared at him, unable to speak. He was in her head, poking around for her secrets.

Hawk Moth smile grew a little. "I can make it go away." He promised, holding out his hand as a small white butterfly flew down from the roof and landed on his outstretched hand, the villain cupped it and poured darkness into it.

Peacock’s breath froze as he took his hand away and showed what was sat in the palm of his hand, wings opening and closing. Hawk Moth held it out a little more. "You know what this is, don't you."

"Keep it away from me!" She screamed, fan spread out to defend herself.

The man just stepped forward. "It has your scent now. You can never escape it."

As he spoke, the butterfly took to the air, flapping harmlessly towards the blue warrior but she swung her fan out in front of her, screaming 'STAY BACK!' as she did and a wave of solid blue light swept out, colliding with Hawk Moth's and knocking him back a step and clutching his side from the blow.

Closing her fan, Peacock let out a surprised but short laugh at the first real victory they had against him. But then it turned to horror as the moth landed on her fan and was absorbed into it, causing it to turn black. Her breath froze as she fell suddenly to her hands and knees, her chest tightening, making it hard to breathe. She could feel him, not just in her head anymore but in her heart, looking around for something to exploit. Annamarie's memories were flashing before her eyes, the bullying she had withstood… the bullying she had done… the wishes to die… the pain of losing… the pain of failing… the guilt… it hurt!

He couldn't see Annamarie, she was hidden away, but he still whispered in Peacock's ear.

__Pain. So much pain. But don't fear, you won't feel it anymore. Just accept it, Peacock, you can't escape me now. Just embrace the darkness…_ ___

Her head fell to the ground, pressed up against it as she tried not to think about what he was saying. She tried to fight it. She tried so hard but he just kept pushing, trying to take over. Every defence she put up, he tore down in seconds. It was an ongoing fight, a battle inside her heart and mind.

Behind them, Ladybug groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around, instantly remembering where she was. She was amazed she still had her earrings, not with Hawk Moth right before her. But then she saw what had distracted him; Peacock, knelt on the ground before him with a look of pure agony on her face.

"Pea…" She whispered before looking to Chat as he also came around, shaking himself as he did.

Hawk Moth turned at her words and smiled. "You're too late Ladybug." He promised, looking at Peacock once more.

The others looked as well and the teen continued to gasp and pant few times before looking up at her friends, eyes wide in panic. "Run." She whispered before a dark black bubbling substance swept up over her from her fan, covering her completely.

Chat and Ladybug scrambled to their feet, watching in horror as it held onto her skin and body, wrapping around her for longer than they thought possible, choking her until, finally, it let her go.

She looked, from afar, the same, knelt on the ground in the darkness of the room and the two hoped she had rejected the transformation. They watched as she took in a deep inhale and let it out before in a slow but steady movement, stood up.

That was when they realised it was in vain. She had been changed.

Her outfit was still the same but where it had once been blue it was now a pale wooden brown colour, her boots and gloves now a blood red with dark purple around the tops and the colourful peacock eyes on her fan had all but vanished into pure black. Her mask was no longer the bright warm sky blue they knew but a horrid blood red, the dots at the top now and the whole thing edged with Hawk Moth's purple.

Beyond her mask, the main change was her hair, normally held up so neatly in a tight bun, it now hung loose, formless around her shoulders.

Hawk Moth couldn't help but smile at his creation as she stood there, stone still. "Well, this is unexpected. But I am pleased with the result."

Chat let out a breath as he stared at her. "No… Feathers…" He whispered.

The villain blinked and turned to look at him. "Feathers you say? What an appropriate name. Very well, Feathers… destroy them and bring me the miraculous."

Peacock was still for a moment but then suddenly spread out her fan and broke out into a run, crossing the room quickly as she threw the fan towards the pair, the curved edge colliding with Ladybug's head and causing her to back off while 'Feathers' punched out at Chat. He attempted to block but she was ready for that and ducked under his defence so still managed a strike.

She held her hand to her side, her fan magically returning to her grip before she spread it out, blocking Ladybug's yo-yo from wrapping around her and as she lowered it, lashed out again.

Feathers was far faster and more brutal than Peacock as she ducked under either of their attacks and gave out her own twice as strong. Chat managed to get a slight advantage when he used his staff to engage her, blocking her attacks but when her fan opened once more in his eyes, he looked at it and missed the roundhouse kick that came to his stomach.

With him knocked back to the red hero's side, Feathers paused, still crouched to the ground and staring at the two of them as they stared at her. Fighting back tears in her eyes, Ladybug clutched her weapon tighter. "Peacock! You have to fight this!" She shouted over the room. "You're stronger than him!"

The akumatised woman narrowed her eyes as she suddenly charged at them again, engaging them both once more, landing a blow to Chat that was so hard he was sent flying into the wall.

"Chat!" Ladybug gasped as she ran over to him and helped him up, his arm over her shoulders as he held his side. Her eyes moved between Feathers and Hawk Moth before noticing the window was open above them. Without a second thought, she threw her yo-yo out and both of them were pulled out of view.

Feathers went to follow but Hawk Moth held up his hand, stopping her. "Let them go. As much as I want their miraculous, I want them to suffer too." he turned around to face her. "And what better way to suffer than to know their own friend is hunting them down."

The Akuma froze where she was, gradually closing her fan and she just stood there, barely moved but to breathe.

Her master appeared to noticed and stepped over, looking at her before frowning. "I see…" He said, reaching out and lifting her chin to look into her eyes. "You're fighting my control." Her eyes were fierce as she stared at him, the true Peacock behind them but she still didn't speak or pull away from his touch. The man let go of her chin and moved his eyes up to her hair where the miraculous was place, still shining a bright blue, the only part of her outfit to remain completely unchanged. He smiled as he tapped it like a child would to the glass of a fish tank. "It does not matter. Soon you will surrender body and soul to my command and when you do, you will bring me what I wish." With one last look at her, he turned and began to walk away. "For now, stay here and await my command."

Feathers lowered her head slightly, helpless to move.

* * *

A few miles away, Ladybug slowly put Chat Noir down to the floor and knelt beside him. "Chat? Are you alright?"

He was still holding his side from where he'd been struck but the pain was fading as he shifted to his knees. "H…how could you?"

"What?"

"How… how could you just… leave her?" He gasped, managing to get up to his feet. "You just _ _left_ _ Peacock there."

"There was nothing we could do! We had to get out of there or Hawk Moth would have our miraculous." She tried to keep her voice rational but emotion slipped in. "If... if we haven't escaped when we did... she would have killed us."

Chat didn't try and keep his emotions in check as the sadness came over his features. "It really happened, didn't it? He really… has control over her." He sighed, pushing himself to walk forwards, looking over the city. "Peacock… she… she's been akumatised."

The spotted woman sighed. "I'm sorry. We never should have taken Hawk Moth on… we never… oh Chat, what did we do? This is all my fault."

"It's alright my lady." He whispered, walked over and holding her shoulder. "We… we will find a way… to stop this. I promise."

Ladybug sniffed and nodded, forcing herself to believe it was true.


	28. Chapter 28 - Feathers and Peacock

Searching the whole night to try and find their ally, the two heroes had finally decided they had to stop; they were both exhausted from fighting most of the afternoon and long into the night but there was no way they were giving up. They agreed to meet up the next day to try and find her.

They wouldn't abandon her.

Parting, Marinette headed home, dropping into her room and landing on her bed as the spots came off. As she sat on the edge of her bed, Tikki looked at her with a sad expression. "Marinette?"

"Peacock… she… she'll be alright… won't she?" She sniffed, wiping her eyes clear. "She was alright when… Volpina stabbed her so… she'll be alright now, won't she?"

"Her kwami will protect her as best he can but it will depend on Peacock herself." The red bug confessed, sitting on the bed. "Things like this have happened before, Miraculous becoming tainted or damaged… and it's never easy to reverse but…" She paused, as if thinking about something but then smiled slightly. "But I know Peacock is strong. She'll fight."

"But what do we do?"

"You treat this like any other. You purify the Akuma."

"Will that bring her back to us?"

Tikki didn't say anything for a moment. "It should." She whispered. "But I'm not certain. We will worry about that later. For now, you need to rest."

"Yeah. I think I'll get a few hours' sleep then pretend to be sick. I hate skipping school but then I can go out and look for her again." She rolled over onto the sheets and sighed.

She got about an hour of sleep before someone knocked on her trap door. "Marinette? Marinette are you awake? It's urgent."

Sighing, she sat up at her mother's voice. "What is it momma?"

Her mom entered the room but a few steps behind her, Estella Tolrana also walked in, looking terrified and exhausted. "Marinette, I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you. I really hoped it wouldn't come to this but…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Annamarie didn't come home last night."

"What?" The teen gasped, jumping down from her bed at once. "She… she didn't come home?"

"No." Estella choked. "I've been trying to call her but… she's not answering her phone and… you were one of the last people to see her. I mean, when you were with her, was she acting odd or… was there anything that might explain where she is?"

Marinette thought. Her friend had been acting a little strange but… considering what they had discovered when they parted, it was sort of expected. "I… I don't think so. We parted at the bottom steps of Sacre-Coeur."

"And there was no one suspicious around or… anything out of the normal."

"Try and think Marinette." Her own mother asked, comforting Estella. "We're not angry but this is important."

"I'm sorry momma but… I can't think of anything. I'm so sorry."

Estella lowered her head and swallowed hard. "It… It's alright. It's just so unlike her."

"If I see or hear anything I swear I will call you."

"Thank you Marinette. I just… hope she's alright."

"So do I." She said going to the adult and held her hand. "I'm sure she’ll be fine. I know she will."

Estella sniffed and Sabrina rubbed her back. "Come on, let's get you a hot drink. Marinette, you're going to be late for school."

"Yes momma." She sighed, knowing she'd never get away with skipping school now. Besides, she needed to speak to Alya and the others, maybe they knew something about Annamarie's disappearance.

As it turned out, they didn't but they were just as stunned to hear she'd vanished. The teens began asking question after question, wondering if they could do anything. The whole class appeared concerned, even Chloe amazingly, offering to get her photo on the news. "What?" She choked at their shock. "She was my friend too you know. For a bit."

Politely they declined the offer, since she'd only been missing a day. Even with the worry hanging over their heads, the class carried on as normally as they could manage but there was a noticeable void where the dancer normally sat.

Once class ended, everyone headed home and Marinette had a short chat with her parents to confirm she didn't remember anything that might explain her friend's disappearance. Once that was done, she headed up to her room and let Tikki out, transforming and hurrying to the rendezvous point with Chat. He was already waiting for her, pacing back and forth but he stopped as she arrived. "Anything?"

"Nothing." She sighed, walking to his side and looking over the city.

The cat lowered his head. "Let's go back to Sacre-Coeur. I doubt he will still be there but there might be a clue as to where he's taken her."

"Alright."

He took a step, as if to head off then stopped. "My Lady... I... I asked my kwami... if she will be alright. He... he said... it won't be easy to save her."

"I don't care if it's easy. We will save her."

Chat said nothing but then nodded and headed off towards the church. When they found no leads there, they went across Paris, searching every abandoned building or strange location they could come across in hopes of finding their friend. The whole night passed and there was no sign of her. Ladybug wanted to continue but Chat made her stop, shouting that they would be no good to her exhausted. They _ _had__ to stop.

His partner frowned as she looked off into the distance then slowly turned and held him, burying her head into his chest as she cried, shouting how it was her fault and how they never should have gone against him.

Silently supporting, the cat looked over her head and held her tight.

* * *

Feathers was stood in complete darkness, her head lowered, hand closed tight around her fan. Hawk Moth had moved her not long after the battle at Sacre-Coeur, ordering her to follow him down some strange tunnels until they came to this place. It was dry but the air stale while there were no bars or doors to keep her in place, he just ordered her not to move and she obeyed. It must have been hours since she was abandoned, maybe even days. She'd lost track of time.

She was frozen on the spot and all she could do was fight internally for some control of her body, feeling the binds around her constricting at her protest. It was as if she was fighting against a giant hand, squeezing her.

She pushed back, trying to spread her arms out. She managed, just slightly, her head rising a fraction as her arm shook from the effort but they moved of _ _her__ will. She commanded them to move and they moved. A smile came to her lips as she pressed on. She could do this!

"Ahahah." Came a cold, mocking voice behind her before a beam of some kind slammed into the back of her legs, forcing her to her knees and the grip tightened once more, her hard work vanishing in that second. "Can't have you fighting back now can we?"

She glared at the floor, frozen once again in place, wordlessly hating the man. He was controlling her body but so far had yet to control her mind or voice. She could still win this fight if she held on to those parts.

He walked around to her front, his victorious smirk was almost tangible in the air. "Thought you'd like to know, Ladybug and Chat Noir are looking for you, Feathers. They think they can find you and free you."

She internally smiled. They _ _would_ _ find her and they _ _would_ _ free her. All she had to do was hold on until they did. She tried to lift her head to glare at him but his proximity gave her no room to move at all. Fortunately, his cane came up under her chin and forced her head to rise until their eyes met. But as his silvery grey eyes looked into her, the heartless, deadly way he looked at her, she had a horrific sinking feeling. "Oh yes, they will find you, my pet." He nodded, leaning down towards her. "They will _ _try_ _ and save you. And when they do… you will kill them."

She glared at him as much as she could, her hatred filling her every cell. But that just made him smile more. "You hate me? Good. Let that anger burn inside you. You'll need it when you face your comrades. When you take their miraculous and end their lives." He chuckled, removing his cane. "Maybe I will be merciful and release you just long enough so you can hold them as they die."

Peacock glared at him but a stab of fear struck her that he would make her do such a thing. The moment of weakness in her resolve gave him exactly what he wanted. He pushed his Akuma's darkness against her mind even more and her mouth opened in a silent gasp, feeling his influence getting stronger. She realised a moment too late that his control over her grew the more she feared him. And that made her even more scared… increasing his control.

Hawk Moth laughed at her. "Now, stand, Feathers."

She did, without hesitation.

"Go, find Ladybug and Chat Noir. Draw them out. Bring Paris to its knees if you must. Make them suffer."

She glanced at him, her eyes distant and hollow before she turned and headed off down the dark tunnel she'd been kept in, heading up a ladder into Paris from under a drain cover. A few people recognised her as she appeared, calling out 'Peacock' and approaching to ask for photos. The Akuma stood emotionless before looking at a man with a phone, filming her.

_ _Draw them out.__ Hawk Moth's command echoed inside her and while Peacock screamed for everyone to run, her voice wouldn't work and she could only watch in horror as she grabbed the man and spun him on the spot, throwing him into another as they both fell to the floor.

The people soon panicked and ran away but she ran after them, throwing anything not nailed down into windows or cars, using her fan to cut down wires and slash tires then took to the air, heading to the more crowded areas.

Hawk Moth's voice smiled in her mind as a butterfly mask surrounded her face. _ _Good Feathers. It won't be long_ _before they come to you. And when they do, kill them both. Do not disappoint me. Or you will be the one to suffer for it.__

As the wind rushed against her face, a trail of water left Peacock's eye as she cried but a squeeze of Hawk Moth's control soon caused it to stop.

* * *

__"Paris is in panic! The superhero, Royal Peacock, has gone on a rampage through the city, attacking anyone she comes across. We are getting reports of injuries across the city! The police are warning everyone to not engage her and to stay indoors."__

Sophia stared at the large screen as the footage showed Annamarie throwing a plank of wood into a car window, sending several people running for cover. Even as she watched, the people in the street began to run away.

Her heart felt cold as she watched. This was what she'd felt, what had drawn her back to Paris. Not The Change but her successor becoming akumatised. She closed her hand into a fist and set off running down the road, an odd blue glow coming off her as she ran.

* * *

Running, flying, fighting, terrifying everyone she passed, Feathers finally slowed to a stop on a roof and looked down. Internally, Peacock was battling for control once again, trying to make herself stop. This was the first time her body had listened but it was mainly because it was exhausted and needed a rest, however short.

She knelt on one knee and placed her fan on the ground, eyes closed and absorbing the last rays of sunshine before dusk, a small breeze playing with her hair.

"Peacock!"

Her head turned to the side, looking at the two heroes on the other edge of the roof. They just stood there, weapons at the ready, staring at her. Slowly the Akuma stood up and turned her back on the light, watching them both.

Ladybug shook her head. "You don't have to do this. We can help you."

Inside, Peacock begged for their help. Hawk Moth begged for their deaths.

Hawk Moth won and she sprinted towards them across the roof, jumping into the air and bringing her leg down on Chat but his baton came up quickly to block, watching as she back flipped away, returning instantly to another attack, switching targets this time.

Ladybug and Chat were both amazed by how violent the attacks were, the Akuma just driving blow after blow, not caring if either of them blocked or took the hit. She just kept going, endlessly, inexhaustible as she fought them.

As Chat stepped up to take the attacks and give his partner a break, Ladybug came up with an idea and threw out her yo-yo, intending to bind the Akuma in the wire as Feathers fought against Chat but their comrade was faster and kicked Chat away, turning and opening her fan just in time. The yo-yo bounced off the front of the other miraculous weapon but Feathers wasn't done. She grabbed the yo-yo base, while it was still in mid-air and pulled it, causing the string to fly out of Ladybug's hand and to its main part where Feathers twisted it around and sent the wire out at Chat, wrapping it around him and a nearby TV aerial, binding him to it. He wiggled to get free but it was useless, he couldn't even move his hand to call on cataclysm.

As Ladybug watched the swift and effective attack, she didn't notice Feathers running towards her, fan spread wide as she sliced it through the air. At the last moment she jumped away but the curved edge suddenly cut deep into her leg, causing her to fall from the pain. Ladybug gasped as she landed and tried to get back up but was quickly knocked down and then began struggling as Feathers fell on top of her, hands wrapped around her throat, trying to choke the life out of her.

Chat was screaming for her to stop, struggling to get free of the wire binding him but it held him tight and he could only watch helplessly. Feathers tightened her grip even more and Ladybug trembled, unable to breathe, her eyes going dark as she tried in vain to get her off.

But suddenly the grip was gone and she took several long deep gulps, staggering back as best she could with her wounded leg until she was near Chat and released him from the yo-yo's wire. Instantly he held her up and looked over at Feathers.

She was stood, clearly trembling, staring at her hands as they were raised before her, one closed tight around her fan. A purple mask appeared over her own.

__What are you doing?! Kill them!__

"N…no." She whispered, stepping back again. "I… I won't."

__Stop fighting me! You cannot win! Destroy them and bring me their miraculous! NOW!__

"NO!" She panted, gripping her hair with one hand and holding it tight, eyes screwed shut. "No! You can't make me! Get… get out of my head!"

Ladybug's eyes went wide. "She's fighting him." She realised, pushing off Chat and limping over, grabbing her friend's arm. "Peacock! Peacock listen, you can do it! You can fight him! This isn't you!"

Peacock shook for a moment before looking up at the other. For a second they just stared into each other's eyes before Feathers opened up her fan and swung it again. If it wasn't for Chat, the rim would have cut into the bug's throat but he tackled his lady to the ground just in time.

The Akuma stood still for a moment before a tear fell down her cheek. "Ladybug…" She whispered. "Please… help me."

From the floor, Ladybug tried not to let her own tears show. "We will Peacock. We will save you. I promise."

Suddenly the purple butterfly mask returned and she stood up stiffly for a second before taking to the sky and vanished from sight.

Left behind, Ladybug gasped painfully and reached down for her leg, looking over the gash she had received. "She's still in there." She explained to Chat.

"She could have killed you my lady." Chat sighed, kneeling to look over the wound as well, unsure what he could do on a roof but thankfully it didn't look too serious.

"She could have. But she didn't. I don't… I don't think she's in control of her own body."

"Then how do we save her? We need to get that fan and get rid of that bug but… we can't get anywhere near her."

They were silent for a moment before a shadow swept over them and they looked up just in time to see a glider land on the roof with them.

With Ladybug wounded, Chat quickly stepped up and charged forward, engaging Feathers once again, his baton extended to a decent size, swinging for her. "I won't let you hurt my lady!"

The woman quickly drew something from her side and engaged his staff, stopping his attack with a rapier of her own. He tried to attack again but his opponent was clearly an accomplished fencer, the sword far stronger than his baton and after only a few blows, he was disarmed. The baton fell to the floor and the sharp tip of the blade was held to his neck, stilling him.

"I'm not here to fight you Chat Noir." They spoke, stepping closer. "I'm here to help save Peacock."

As the rush of the fight wore off, Chat managed to look at his opponent and realised it _ _wasn't__ Feathers. This one had blonde hair and green eyes, her outfit just like Peacock's; the same mask, gloves and boots but this one had a collar of peacock eyes around her neck and waist where five long elegant peacock feathers swept to the floor. Not to mention the sword in her hand. The others just stared at her as she lowered her blade.

"Who… who are you?" Ladybug asked.

"I'm the Previous Peacock." She explained, sword away and walking over to the red spotted hero, kneeling beside her and looking at her leg.

"Previous?"

"You're not the first miraculous as you know and, while it has been a long time since the ladybug and cat have been call upon, the peacock and other seconds have been passed down for millennia."

"But…" Chat asked as he looked around. "How can you be here? Our peacock has the miraculous so…."

"When you wear a miraculous for long enough, you become connected to it. And the stronger you get, the stronger that connection is. Eventually you can even transform _ _without_ _ the miraculous, in cases of emergency. And you gain powers and weapons that will aid you…" She said, placing her hand over Ladybug's cut, her hands glowing blue and lighting up the ground. After a few seconds she removed her hand and the wound was gone. She looked at the pair with a smile. "Like how to heal a wound."

Chat quickly knelt at her side. "My lady? How… how do you feel?"

Carefully, Ladybug made her way to her feet, testing her leg. "It… it doesn't hurt anymore." She explained with a smile. "Thank you."

"Eventually you will get this kind of powers. Its call 'The Change' and all miraculous go through it when they become strong enough. You get new skills, weapons and your appearance changes but only when you have proven yourself strong enough and wise enough to use them." Peacock explained with a nod. "But that doesn't matter right now. Right now, we need to hurry."

"Why?"

"Your Peacock is in danger. She is still fighting Hawk Moth but I don't think she can hold on for much longer. We have to stop her."

Chat glanced at her sword. "You going to use _ _that_ _ on her?"

"If I have to." She stated, voice stern.

"No!" Ladybug shouted. "No… you can't… kill her!"

"She is under the control of Hawk Moth, Ladybug. At the moment she is fighting him but should she loose that battle I cannot allow someone as evil as Hawk Moth to have full control over a miraculous." She hardened her gaze on them both. "We all have to be ready to make the ultimate choice. To save Paris and the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, aren’t you all lucky! I forgot how close together the publish dates were between the last two chapters.   
> But now you have to wait until Monday August 14th to find out if they can do it. Can they save Peacock or will they have to… well… only one way to find out!  
> Don’t forget to review, they really help. Oh and if you want to know what Feather’s looks like, go to my DeviantART page, same username, you will find some images


	29. Chapter 29 - Peacock Breaks

Having flown far away from the battle, Feathers landed and slipped down a man hole into the drains below the city, Hawk Moth mapping her route in her mind. She ran down the drains at such a rate that when she finally made her way to the open space she had started at, she skidded to a stop in the middle, lungs burning from it but the control over her didn’t allow her to breathe as she wished.

The vile villain stood before her, scowling and holding the top of his cane tight. “You had them.” He hissed dangerously. “You had them in the palm of your hand… and you let them _go_!”

Feathers didn’t even flinch at his words or tone, just stood perfectly still, staring at his feet.

With a growl, Hawk Moth waved his hand over her, causing her to gasp sharply as if she’d just come up from under water, falling to her knees and holding her throat before coughing. She finally got her breath back and looked up at her captor. “You… you will never make me hurt my friends.” She cussed at him. “I will _never_ give in to you.”

After a moment, he stormed over, grabbing her hair and pulling her head it back, listening as she gasped in pain. “ _You_ will do as I command!”

Even if his fury was thick in the air it didn’t stop her from glaring daggers at him. “Never.”

He snarled, pulling his arm back and bringing his cane down on her shoulder, knocking her forward but she rolled with the hit and got back to her feet, fan open to block his next attack then returned her own.

She knew he could stop her, a simple wave of his hand and she would be unable to move again but she wasn’t going to waste this moment, even if it was her last. She was filled with desperation and anger, fearlessly attacking the man before her, blocking his attacks and giving her own until she felt something connect.

Her fan had managed to catch the flesh of his cheek, a shallow short nick that was slowly turning rosy with blood. The two of them stopped, Hawk Moth slowly lifting his hand to touch it, eyes wide before they narrowed and snapped to the teen, squeezing his hand into a fist.

Peacock screamed as loud as she could, falling to her knees and staring up at the ceiling, feeling as if his hand was closing around her neck, crushing the life out of her.

He stepped forwards until he was right before her, his hand still clutching her life. “I could kill you, right now, I could kill you and let you rot down here. But… I need you alive. You are my best chance to defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir. So… I will give you _one_ last chance.” He knelt to her level and released his hold on her lungs and soul but instead placed his hand on her chest, over her heart.

If it was possible, that was worse, the sensation of him touching her, his fingers burning into her over her suit, his dark evil seeping into her like a poison, seeking out what was already inside.

He leant closer to her, hovering over her ear. “Stop fighting me.” He whispered, his voice almost enticing her to listen. “Stop fighting and give in to me. Or else… I will force you to change back. I can do that you know, I can rip that miraculous from your pretty little head and find out who you are under that mask. And once I have, I will make you go after everyone you care about. I will make you cut down your own family, your friends… I will make sure you do not stop until you have cut down every person you have ever loved.” He pressed his hand further against her. “So ask yourself, which is more important to you? Chat Noir and Ladybug, those who abandoned you to my power, to be my puppet… or your life behind the mask?”

Peacock stared at him, tears pouring down her face, his darkness pushing more and more against her, testing the limits of her mental barriers that she’d had up for days. But the more he pressed, the more cracks appeared and he made her see each of her friends… and the things he would make her do to them, the pain she’d inflict on them, the way she’d… kill them. The imaged were promises of what would happen.

She held on, she kept her walls up, fighting the darkness until one face flashed before her eyes.

Marinette, smiling at her.

And then, with a dark flash of light, she wasn’t smiling. She was still… she was…

That was the moment she surrendered and lowered her mental barricades, allowing the dark oily evil to slowly slide over her mind. It choked her but as it consumed the last of Peacock and Annamarie, it was almost a relief, a calm nothingness that let her rest.

Meanwhile, with a twisted smile, Feathers lifted her head and played with a strand of her hair. “So… Ladybug and Chat Noir.” She said, her voice sickeningly dark. “Still want me to kill them?”

Hawk Moth stood slowly and held his hand down to her, helping her stand. “And make sure it hurts.”

Flicking her hair back, the dark bird nodded. “With _pleasure_.” She teased, turning and walking away of her own will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. I am so sorry... but yeah, this happened. I hope you love it even f you hate me.
> 
> Next chapter is Friday August 25, 2017 but I'll make a deal; if this story gains 10 reviews (that is between its Deviant Art post, AO3 post and Fanfic post) before the 25th, I will publish the next chapter early.
> 
> If not, I hope you can wait.


	30. Chapter 30 - She's Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle between Feathers and Ladybug with Chat and the old Peacock. Who will win?

# 

#  Chapter 30 - She’s Gone

Heavy hearted with the fear of the actions they may have to take to stop their friend, Ladybug and Chat Noir joined the other Peacock in crossing Paris, trying to find the Akuma. It was easier to think that way; to think they were only after an Akuma and not their Peacock.

They searched for two hours but there was no sign of her and while Marinette knew at the back of her mind she should be heading home, that her family would be worried, she decided she would put up with punishment, lectures and being grounded if it meant finding Peacock. At that moment, her duty as Ladybug was the only thing in her life. She had to save Peacock.

The older Peacock stopped on a roof and looked over the city. "Where could she have gone?" She said, more to herself than the others before looking at the pair. "You know her better than I do. Where would she go if she _ _wanted__ to be alone but you could find her? Somewhere you would know to look for her?”

Ladybug blinked. “The tower. It’s her favourite place in all of Paris!”

“Let’s check there then.”

They took off once more, now with a location in mind and as they got closer, they realised they were right as people were running away, screaming in fear as souvenirs were thrown down from above onto them.

The attacker was half way up, on the struts of the tower legs. Sometimes she darted down to the observation floor, waving her fan over the people to make them scatter but as she pulled back for another attack, a wire wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. “Peacock! Stop this!” Ladybug called as she pulled the wire tight. "This isn't you!"

The Akuma stood still for a moment before turning, flicking the wire off her wrist before she jumped down to the ground, standing before them with her fan to her lips, glancing between each of the three then stepped forwards out of the shadows of the tower.

The older Peacock took a short quick breath. “No.” She whispered. “The miraculous…”

Ladybug and Chat looked and went stone cold. Before the miraculous had remained untouched, a glint of blue on the Akuma. Now… it was jet black. The bird nodded. “Peacock’s not here anymore.” She teased, cold dark laughter in her voice. “Please leave a message after the beep.”

The older Peacock frowned, drawing her rapier. “She lost.” She said under her breath. “Hawk Moth has full control over her.”

“You mean…”

“She’s gone?”

“Yes.” She said, gripping her blade tighter. “And we have no choice now… we have to destroy her.”

Feathers leant back a little, ready for the impending fight. “Just try it.”

The old Peacock glared at her then ran forwards, sword held high but Feathers pushed it away, jumping over her and kicking her square in the back, sending her forward to the ground. As she landed, the Akuma continued onwards, charging at the other two and punching for Ladybug, forcing her to leap back.

Chat soon snapped out of his daze and ran towards her, baton out but Feathers twisted on the spot and dodged, his blow going wide but he soon gasped as a knee came up and into his stomach and when Ladybug when to help him, Feathers punched her in the jaw, laughing as she leaping out of the way and turning to look at them.

"You are really pathetic." She laughed again before noticing the other Peacock was back on her feet and charging, sword aiming for her stomach but she leapt away again, fan moving to block her attacks.

Toying with her, Feathers didn't really attack the older miraculous but pushed her back and away from the others before suddenly pushing her once more, tripping her up to the ground. Almost at once, the peacock slowly got back to her feet and backed away, panting for breath as she did.

Feathers chuckled as she began to circle her. "You're out of touch old woman. It takes a young body to be a miraculous."

"Less of the ‘old’ thank you." She snapped, charging forwards once more and lashing out.

Feathers blocked her blade with the fan then took hold of it, gripping it tight so it couldn't move. "Oh sorry, should I say ancient?"

Sophia glared at her then pressed on harder, twisting her blade to the side, freeing it and once more went on the attack but once again, Feathers was faster and soon had her on the ropes. With another well timed kick, she had her down to the floor, skidding on the ground before she came to a stop, this time not getting back up.

The Akuma began to move towards her but the black cat came from nowhere and got between them, staff across his chest. "You are not getting any further."

"As if you could stop me!" She laughed at him before charging in for another attack, punching his neck but when he pulled away, she ducked down and kicked his legs out from him and landed a hard punch to his face that made him black out. She chuckled darkly, kneeling beside him, fan raised and open, ready for the final blow. "Time to put the cat out." She joked as she began to take the swing when a yo-yo wire wrapped around her wrist, stopping her.

Slowly the Akuma moved her eyes to follow the wire to where Ladybug stood on the other side of the tower deck, eyes narrow with defiance as she held the wire tight with both hands. Feathers looked at her then slowly stood up, shaking her hand free as if it was nothing but a stray thread. "Oh now you step up for the fight Ladybug." She huffed, humour gone as she moved away from Chat. "Where was this three days ago?"

"Peacock! Stop this!” Ladybug begged, feeling herself on the edge of tears. “You can fight him! You are stronger than him! Please! Come… come back to us.”

“Why should I!?” Feathers snapped, turning to face the red hero. “Why should I come back to you Ladybug? When you _ _abandoned_ _ me! You left me there for Hawk Moth! You were the one to lead us into that fight… and you were the one to leave me!”

“No… we never…”

“You LEFT ME! You are not the one standing here with a butterfly inside their heart.” She growled with pure hatred. “You are not the one whose soul has been darkened by pure evil! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Ladybug had to try so hard not to cry at her harsh words. “Peacock… we will save you.”

“How can you save me… when you can’t even save _ _yourselves__!” Feathers shouted then ran towards her, bringing her fan around to cut into her once more.

Ladybug backed off quickly from the attack, jumping away as the fan swung for her again and again, somehow managing to get to the tower itself and jump upwards, moving the battle to the structure. Feathers was only a step behind as they climbed higher, sometimes throwing her fan out to where Ladybug was holding in an attempt to get her to let go.

Fortunately, Ladybug always moved just in time before the blow could hit her but when they got to the second observation deck, Feathers threw her weapon out once more and knocked the red spotted hero across the back of the head, making her trip and fall to the ground, rubbing the sore spot. Feathers didn't hesitate in running over to her and grabbing her pigtail, pulling her head up by it. "Hawk Moth will be pleased when I bring him your earrings." She chuckled, flicking the lobes with her fan. "Even more with the ears and head still attached."

"Get off her!" Came a male voice as Chat and the other Peacock made their way to them, Chat charging at his former ally. Feathers let go of Ladybug and went back to the fight while the older blonde ran to Ladybug, her hand glowing as she held it over her head.

Feathers glared at her enemy as they engaged. "Why do you defend her Chat? She led both of us to our doom. You might have gotten away but I didn't. I became an Akuma because of her!"

"We all agreed to go in there Peacock!" Chat hissed back. "We agreed, as a team, we ended it."

"We were lambs, led to the slaughter!" She kicked him away and knocked his baton out of his hands. "I stood up to protect you! I tried to keep you safe and look what happened to me!" She kicked him in the side this time. "You failed to keep me safe Chat! You failed to end this war! You FAILED!" She kicked him over and over, not letting him get up.

However in her fury she missed the other Peacock coming up behind her until she felt the sword at her neck and she froze. Panting from the effort the battle was taking, Sophia shook her head. "Please, you have to fight this."

"The only thing I have to fight is YOU!" Feathers snapped, ramming her elbow back into the other hero's stomach, forcing her back and away from her, removing the sword in doing so.

As Peacock backed off, Feathers lifted her fan up and brought it down like a hammer on the other hero's shoulder, the device closed and her attack so strong that it forced the other to fall to the ground, nursing her arm from the blow.

Feathers smiled at her pain but then began struggling as someone wrapped a pole over her chest and pinned her arms to her side. "What! Get off me you alley cat!" She shouted, trying to kick free but Chat held on, even when she landed strikes against him.

He grunted as she lashed out but then turned his eyes to Ladybug. “NOW My Lady!”

The red hero ran forward, her hand tight around the peacock sword that had been thrown towards her when its holder fell, and with Chat holding her still, she had a perfect shot to end this. She knew they had to take it and it broke her heart as she fought back tears, running across the tower, the sword unfamiliar to her but she knew the basics.

A quick stab and it would be over.

She was a step away, trying not to look at her friend but at the last moment, their eyes met and she knew she couldn't take her life. She would never kill, not even to save a friend.

Instead she went for the strap that connected her fan to her wrist, cutting it away easily and without a scratch to the hero-turned-Akuma.

The fan fell to the floor, Feathers gasping as her weapon fell but then kicked herself free of Chat and dropped down for it but the bug was just a little faster, grabbing it and snapping it in half.

A small black butterfly came out, Ladybug preparing to purify it when Feathers tackled her, rolling on the ground and trying to continue the fight. "Even without the Akuma, she's still under Hawk Moth's control!" He yelled in horror to the others. But Peacock was down and Ladybug was busy trying to stay alive. Chat looked between the Akuma and his partner as the bug escaped and Feathers fought against Ladybug.

He made his choice and went after the Akuma, grabbing it in his hands and wincing at the dark sick feeling it gave him, wiggling around to try and be reabsorb. Just then, the other Peacock tackled the dark one, throwing her off Ladybug before glancing at her. "Purify it!" She shouted while keeping Feathers at bay.

Ready, Ladybug unlocked her yo-yo once more while Chat released the bug, watching it escape before it was consumed and then freed.

But as they watched the little white butterfly fly away, they realised something.

There was no lucky charm.

There was no miraculous.

There was no magic to heal Peacock.

Looking over they noticed the two Peacocks still fighting each other, showing no sign of stopping. Chat shook his head suddenly. "No… this… this was meant to _ _save_ _ her!"

Watching the two birds in combat, Ladybug came to a decision. "We still can. Chat… you… you have to use Cataclysm on her."

"But… that'll…"

"Kill her. Yes. But…" She looked up at him. "At least she will be free."

He thought about it before his eyes fell and he nodded, lifting his hand above his head to summon the magic but as he reached up, a green light lit up his ring and shot into the air while at the same time, another light came from Ladybug's earrings, a white one that joined the other above them, forming a singular ball of light, twisting and turning until it suddenly split apart and shot towards the two heroes, absorbing into their suits.

"What… what's happening!" Ladybug shouted as the light began to glow and absorb her body.

"I… I don't know!" Chat called back before they were both consumed in light.

Like when the Akuma had bonded with Peacock, it held them, almost lifting them off the ground, glowing before the air was filled with a flash of blinding light, a solid wave blooming out over the space and leaving the two heroes to land softly on the ground.

Chat instantly looked at his partner and gasped. "My… my lady?" He said hesitantly. "You… you look…"

Her suit was still red and black spotted but she now had solid black gloves up to her wrist and boots to the middle of her calf while a second round yo-yo was strapped to the back of her left glove. Up in her hair, her two long ribbons that held it up had gotten a little longer. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him and blinked. "Chat Noir?"

His outfit had changed as well, the same basic style but there was a long black cape now hanging down his back while at his side hung a sword, the hilt and handle shaped like a cat's tail, his golden bell now joined by two golden clips on each shoulder. Gripping the cloak the cat turned on the spot. "What the… what just happened?"

"You two just underwent The Change." The other Peacock said as she walked over. "You proved yourself willing to make the ultimate choice, a test of your heart… and passed it. So you were given the next step in your powers."

"What about Peacock?" Chat said, not even caring about his new gift.

The older miraculous stepped to the side, looking behind her. "Your dedication to look protect her, to do what needed to be done… it was stronger than Hawk Moth's control and has freed her." She said, Peacock stood before them, colourful once more, staring at them but as they did, she fell to her knees, hands on the ground and let out a whimper.

"Peacock!" Two voices called out and she somehow looked up. Her vision was fussy, doubled and distorted.

Two people were on her instantly and her first reaction was to try and get away from them, getting up to her feet and pushing them back. Her eyes finally cleared and she realised the people were Chat and Ladybug, looks of concern and fear on their faces but even knowing who they were, she backed off, hands out reached to keep them away. "S-Stay back."

"Pea…" Chat said, stepping towards her. "Pea, it's us… don't you recognise us?"

"Leave her alone." Came another voice and Peacock turned to see who was speaking and for a second, was sure she was seeing double. It looked like her but with blonde hair, not brown and her eyes were green. The other peacock smiled and stood before her younger, a soft smile on her lips. "It's alright. You're safe now. It's me."

That voice… those words… they were older to her memory than the costume… and… the river… London… her sadness….

Her mouth opened to say her name but she stopped herself and opted to instead run over and wrap her arms around her. The two Peacocks embraced, one sobbing while the other just brushed her hair back. "It's alright." She repeated over and over. "I know, you're scared but it's over. It's alright now."

The newer Peacock sniffed, leaning back and wiped her eyes. "I was… it was horrible… I couldn't… I almost…"

Chat took a step forward. "Hey, you alright Feathers?"

She instantly flinched at the nickname. "Don't call me that." She said, calmly but with a sharper tone. "Please… don't… I can't…"

"It won't be easy for you to recover Peacock." The other said, holding her shoulder. "Hawk Moth has become even stronger now, able to control a miraculous like yourself. But as he has become stronger, so have you. You proved that tonight, when you took on what you fear most."

Ladybug lowered her head. "But… we lost against Hawk Moth."

The eldest shook her head and sighed. "I don't mean Hawk Moth. Yes, you fear him. But he is not your greatest fear." Her eyes turned to the young peacock at her side. "Your fear is losing someone you love."

Chat and Ladybug turned to her as well and smiled weakly. "Pea…"

The young brunette shook her head and gripped it tight. "I'm sorry. I messed up. I… I wasn't strong enough to… to fight him. And I hurt you… I hurt you both… I'm so sorry." She looked about to fall again when the others went over and tentatively held her. She hesitated for a moment but then held them, her head pressed between them as tears flowed down her face.

"You didn't do it." Ladybug said as they finally leant back. "Hawk Moth was the one in control…"

"But I wasn't strong enough to fight him off!" Peacock screamed, hands over her ears. "I didn't… I can still hear him, in my head… whispering for me to… to give in to him…"

Ladybug was speechless; unable to comprehend the torment she must be going through.

The older Peacock held her shoulder again. "Normally a person would black out while in Hawk Moth's control but… as a Miraculous holder, the rules don't always apply." She thought for a moment then sighed. "I hoped it would be the same but… you must have remained conscious and alert the whole time. It will hurt Peacock but you will recover."

"How S… Peacock!" She corrected at the last moment. "How will I ever recover?! I hurt those I care about! I gave in to Hawk Moth's control! I… I was weak! If those two weren't here, I would take this dam thing off right now and throw it away! I don't deserve to be its protector! I don't… I'm not worthy of it. I shouldn't be… I can't…"

"You will recover." The other promised steadily. "But it will take time. And you will have to trust me. I know somewhere that will help you."

"Really?" Ladybug asked, intrigued. "Where? We can go there now!"

The older Peacock shook her head. "It's an ancient secret place, a place of power and healing for Miraculous."

"Where is it?"

"Tibet."

Chat blinked at the news. "You… you want us to go… to Tibet?"

"No." She sighed. "You two need to stay here. It's where you're needed."

"So you want to go to Tibet _ _alone_ _?"

"I will go with her but it's for her own good. It will help her recover…"

"No!" Ladybug stepped in. "We almost lost Peacock today! I won't risk losing her again! I won't let you go!"

"But it's not up to you." The brunette said softly. "It's my choice to make. And I want to go."

"What?" Chat said, stepping over and holding her shoulders. "No, you can't just go… you… we just got you back!"

She pushed him away, his contact still uncomfortable. "Please, Chat… I want to go." Her gaze fell to the ground. "Look, I… I don't want to talk about this right now. I need… I need _ _time_ _. I need to… get out of this suit and think for myself."

"Peacock…"

"I'll meet you tomorrow, same time and place as always. But… if this place in Tibet can help me recover… then I have to go there and try. I mean, just look at you two." She waved a hand over their new improved forms. "You two… you don't need me anymore. You are stronger now…"

"So is Hawk Moth." Ladybug stated. "We do need you Peacock."

"Ladybug." She whispered, her body still trembling, holding her own arms in some form of comfort. "Let me think about all of this. But I hope you'll accept whatever choice I make." Peacock explained as she looked at the other of her name. "Will you take me home?"

"Of course." Sophia said, helping usher her away.

After a moment, the two blue birds managed to get down to ground level, Sophia releasing her temporary transformation with a flash of light but as Annamarie's fell away, she swayed on the spot, grabbing the wall and her friend before she fell too far, causing the woman to give a startled shout of _ _'Annamarie!'_ _ and grabbed her as a blue bird hid on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Froufrou whimpered, peeking out at her.

The teen groaned, rubbing her head and holding her stomach. "Sorry… I… I just… felt faint all of a sudden."

Looking her over with a concerned eye, the woman sighed. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know… before… this."

"That was three days ago. Oh darling… come on, you need some food or at least a drink." The older woman sighed. "Get your strength back and then you need some rest. Frou, hide in my purse, there should be some grapes for you. I bet you need your strength too."

"Thanks Sophia."

Kwami hidden and one arm wrapped around for support, the two of them began a slow long walk towards the nearest café open at that time of night. After that, they headed to her home and once they entered the house, Annamarie was greeted by a furious and relieved mother as she prepared to hug and scold her daughter but the teen couldn't take her touch and backed off.

Luckily Sophia was there to explain the situation. They had come up with a cover story on the walk and at the café, deciding that when she left Sacre-Coeur she'd been kidnapped by some roughens and held hostage for the last 3 days until Ladybug and the others had freed her.

It was a pretty good story and explained why the teen was suddenly so jumpy, and by using the heroes meant there was no trail to check the story. At the café, Sophia confessed that when she had been Peacock, she'd developed a skill for making up stories to cover her activities.

Estella was in tears as she looked at her daughter, horrified to hear what had happened but when Sophia offered to take her away for a chance to recuperate, the woman had instantly offered to come with them but the older Peacock insisted she didn't.

Annamarie excused herself from the conversation after that point, exhausted from the days of her ordeal but as she changed her clothes, she felt a wave of sickness and ran to the bathroom, throwing up the little food she'd been able to stomach that evening.

The adults below didn't notice but Frou hovered by her head. "Annamarie?" He asked in concern.

She managed to get up, washed her face and got rid of the evidence before heading back to her room. "I'm sorry Frou." She whispered, sitting down on her bed. "You… you must hate me for letting this happen."

"Annamarie…" The peacock cooed, coming closer. "I could never hate you. You were so strong. You fought him off for as long as you could. And if anyone should hate anyone, you should hate me… for letting this happen."

The girl looked about to speak but ended up leaning forward, covering her face with her hands and letting out long deep wails, practically screaming to herself as tears flooded down her face. The kwami stared at her in horror as she broke down before him, finally letting all the pain she'd suffered as an Akuma get out her body but it would never be enough.

His poor charge was broken and there was nothing he could do.

Carefully he flew over to her and reached for her hair, brushing it back and whispering he was there and it would work out. That she was strong enough to get over this. That she would recover. That she would get better. He hoped his words were true.

She wept for a while, crying her heart out before she fell into an exhausted sleep, rolling to her side and dropping her head to the pillows, the bird staying at her side and brushing her tears away as she continued to cry even asleep.

It was a few hours but then she woke up with a start, staggering back into the wall and whimpering. It was almost dawn by then and Froufrou looked at her with big sad eyes. "Annamarie?"

"I… I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over, rocking herself back and forth on the spot.

She didn't get back to sleep, just sat and cried, memories of her time as Feathers flashing in her eyes. She was in agony and it was tearing her apart from the inside. Her mom came to check up on her, told her she was going to call the school and let them know she wasn't coming back in but Annamarie insisted she went.

Washed, dressed and having managed a glass of milk and half an apple, Estella drove her daughter to school, stopping right outside. "Now honey, if you don't feel up to this, just call me and I'll come and get you."

With a nod, the girl climbed out and went up the steps. Her class was hanging around in the courtyard so when they saw the familiar shape, many of them turned to see her while Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrian all hurried to her, Marinette reaching out to hug her almost at once. "Annamarie! Where have you been? We've been so worried."

Annamarie gasped as she grabbed her then pushed her away a little too roughly, staggering back away from the group as they stared at her. She almost slipped to her knees as she pushed them away, her little strength drained but she managed to keep herself standing even if her hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with tears. "P…please, stay away from me. I'm sorry but I'm… just..." She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

The four stared at her, worried about her condition. "Where have you been?" Alya gulped. "We've been worried sick."

She looked away from them and shook her head. "I… I… I'm sorry. I just… I've been… something happened and… I'm so sorry."

"What happened?"

Looking away, she gulped and closed her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. I just… I just…." She sighed softly and looked at her friends. "Something… happened and… I was hurt… and it's really… shaken me so…" She paused, lowering her head. "I'm going to… go away for a bit to a… a kind of hospital… where I can get better."

Adrian frowned with concern and worry at his friend. "But what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I… I can't." She looked at her hand as it began trembling.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "They… won't let me leave until I've recovered. It could be… awhile."

"A while? How long we talking?”

"Months. Most likely."

"You're going to be gone… for months?"

"I wish I didn't have to. But… what's happened to me… I just can't stay here in Paris right now. I have to get away."

Marinette stared at her friend, her head coming up with several horrific possible environments that could have caused her suffering and she had to swallow the guilt. She'd been so consumed with finding Peacock that she hadn't spared a moment to look for Annamarie. Perhaps she could have saved her friend this pain if she had.

Just then, the school bell rang out and the group turned to head into class, Marinette sparing a moment to reach back and offer her hand to her friend. "Are you coming?"

Annamarie stared at her and squeezed her hand but then looked past her, catching her reflection in the glass of the class window. But it was the brown heartless Akuma Feathers that looked back, grinning at her.

She pulled her hand away from her friend, staring at the twisted image in her mind. "No… I…" She backed off and gulped, shaking her head before grabbing her hair and pulling tight at it. "No! No stop it! Get away from me!"

Marinette watched in horror as her friend broke down, tears falling down her face, her fear and pain clear. "Annamarie."

The dancer looked up at her name and stared at her for a second before turning and running out of the school as fast as she could.

Behind, Marinette lowered her gaze and headed into class, glancing at her friends as they looked at her, silently asking where the other was. She just shook her head and sat down in her seat, fighting the gilt and sadness.

First Peacock was leaving.

Now Annamarie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone!  
> Well, here it is! The final battle and the final outcome... Peacock is saved... but at a cost.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story, it has been a roller-coaster of a ride for me, mentally and physically at some times. There was a time when this story wouldn't have been finished but I think it has been worth the pain.
> 
> There is two more chapters, to be released on Wednesday September 6 and Friday September 15 but don't worry, this is not the end of Peacock's story. There is a sequel; Feather's Flight! And there is a sub story, that connects Turning and Flight; Recovery! But you will have to wait for them.
> 
> For now, don't forget to review and let me know how much you love the story!


	31. Chapter 31 - Goodbye

Ladybug sighed as she landed, looking at the bright green eyes staring at her. "Hey Chat."

"Ladybug." He said, exhaustion clear in his voice as well as his body. It had been a long three days for them both. "Any idea where Peacock is?"

"I'm over here." Came her voice from around a large chimney behind them.

"Peacock?" Ladybug asked, taking a step towards her.

"Stop!" She shouted, a dark shape shifting away. "Don't come any closer!" They both froze at her words, flinching in fear but she moved back to the edge, peaking out. "Sorry… I'm… I'm not transformed."

"What? Why not?"

"I tried." She whispered, her voice raw from crying. "But I just… couldn't. It felt wrong."

"Peacock… I'm…"

"Sorry? Ladybug… you are… my closest and dearest friend but please… don't say you are sorry. You have no _ _idea__ what I am going through. I mean, even now, like this… I can still feel Hawk Moth, crawling under my skin, around my head. It was so much worse as Peacock."

The two heroes looked at her outline, hidden in the dark but they could hear her give little sobs and watched as she shook. "Peacock…"

"I came… to say goodbye. We didn't have a chance yesterday. But… I know you'll be fine without me. With your new powers, you won't even know I'm gone."

"Don't say that!" Chat snapped, moving a little closer and causing her to retreat back. "That's not true. Yes we will cope while you are gone but don't you think for a second there will be a moment we won't know you aren't with us. You're our teammate, as much a hero as either of us."

Ladybug nodded as there was no reply from the shadows. "Chat's right Peacock. You're as much a part of us as we are of you. We balance each other's flaws and strengths."

"I'm nothing but flaws right now. I'm the one who was transformed. The one Hawk Moth targeted. The one he defiled." She grabbed her head suddenly, leaning on the wall and sliding to the ground. "I'm the one… who failed."

Her friends were silent, watching as she cried, unable to think of a way to comfort her.

Chat stared at her then let out a deep breath. "I held it."

"What?"

"The Akuma. I held it. And it felt like all the dark and sad moments of my life were being forced into me, making me relive them over and over again. As if I would never breathe fresh air, just this stale choking sensation."

"And you held it for a few seconds. I had that inside me for three _ _days__!" She sniffed.

"We are here for you. We want to support you in this."

Annamarie smiled a little at them, even if they couldn't see. "I know. And I know you want to support me but… the only way I'm going to get better is to leave."

The two paused, they didn't like thinking about her going. "We know." Chat said softly. "But no matter what happens Peacock, where you are, remember your home is here, beside us."

Ladybug swallowed as she took a step forward. "When do you leave?"

"You… won't see me again until I come back." Annamarie said softly. She didn't know when she was going but she had sworn to herself she wouldn't see them until she came back. She wasn't worthy of seeing of them until she was better.

The others tried not to show their disappointment. "And… you're not transformed?"

"It felt wrong."

The two glanced at each other, wanting to say goodbye properly and not let her feel alone. Ladybug bit her lip then reached to her side, pulling out her yo-yo, calling out for the lucky charm.

Two scraps of black and red spotted fabric fell into her hands, their use clear for once. Chat smiled at her ingenious moment, taking one and covering his mask with it, his Lady doing the same. Blindfolded, they took the few steps to the chimney, followed the stone down and reached out.

As a hand touched her leg, Annamarie looked up with a gasp, expecting to see their horror at discovering who she was but then saw the blindfolds. They smiled at her, Ladybug reaching out her hand. "Peacock?"

The dancer gave a loud sob and reached out, placing her hand in the superhero's, feeling herself shake at the touch, the internal torment making her tremble uncontrollably. She felt so wrong to be beside them in her state but the warmth of her hand cut through it.

Just slightly, only for a moment.

She took a deep sharp breath then lunged forward from her position, grabbing them both in the best hug she could do but they burned into her; it hurt, physically and mentally hurt to be in contact with them, her skin feeling like it was blistering under their hand. But she held on. She needed to hold them, one last time.

But then she heard it.

__Go on… kill them. Kill them both. You know you want to. Kill them. Do it! Do it now!__

She pushed them back, staggering to her feet and running around the other side of the chimney, collapsing to her knees and crying.

Behind her, Ladybug and Chat pulled down their blindfolds and looked to see her shoe poking out behind the wall. "Peacock?"

"I need to go." She said suddenly, pulling herself completely around the corner. "I… I can't stay here any longer. I'm sorry."

"We understand Peacock. Just remember, when you're ready, we will be waiting for you. Same place as always."

"I'll remember that Chat." She sniffed and stood before walking away but stopped and looked back at them from the shadows. "Goodbye."

"No Peacock." Ladybug said with a smile. "See you soon."

* * *

Annamarie sighed as she stood looking down on the Agreste mansion, over to a large double window and the blonde boy working at his desk inside.

"Annamarie?"

She looked over at the voice as another blonde joined her. "Hey. Thanks for coming Sophia."

"You should be resting." The older woman scolded. "And why did you insist on meeting here?" The teen said nothing, just allowed her gaze to drift back over. Her friend followed and gasped when she saw what she was looking at. "Adrian."

"You should go talk to him." Annamarie insisted.

Unable to take her eyes off her son, Sophia shook her head. "It's not safe."

"It's not safe for _ _Sophia__ to speak to him. But not for _ _Peacock__." The other said as she reached up to her hair and removed the clip, holding it out. "Froufrou and I already talked about it. You can have it back and go talk to him. Just tell him that his mother is alive and safe and thinking of him. You don't have to tell him you _ _are_ _ his mother." She held it out a little more. "Please? For both your goods?"

Sophia chuckled lightly as she took her Miraculous back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said calmly. "I'm not going to see Adrian for a while and I want to leave knowing he is at least partly happy."

With a nod, the older woman placed the slide in her hair and let out a deep breath. "Froufrou?"

The little bird came out from Annamarie's side and smiled at her. "One last time Sophia?"

"One last time. Froufrou, Feathers Up!"

Instantly she was transformed into the Peacock, tail feathers, sword and collar included. With a sigh, she looked at her gloves then at her successor. "Thank you Annamarie."

"I'll head back home. I still have some packing to do." She explained already heading for the fire escape she used to get up.

Once she was out of sight, Peacock spread out her fan and took to the sky, gliding effortlessly to the window of her son's room, landing perfectly on the edge of an open window. She must have caught her son's attention as he turned to look at her, eyes wide. "Wha…"

"Adrian Agreste?" She asked as he stared at her.

"Peacock?"

"In a way." She explained, jumping down and walking over to him. "I'm the previous Peacock."

"W-why are you here?"

"I… I came to talk to you." She let out a deep breath, steadying himself. "It's… about your mother."

Adrian's eyes widened as he jumped to his feet and stood before her. "My mother? You… you know where she is? What happened? Is she alright? Please, I need to know!"

Sophia fought back tears as she reached out for his cheek but at the last moment went for his shoulder instead. "Yes, I know where she is. She misses you so much and is unbelievably proud of you. She wants you to know that."

"Where is she? Can I see her?"

"I wish you could but it's not safe."

"Then why did she leave me?" He asked, holding her wrist as her hand squeezed his shoulder. "Why did she… just go? Why did she abandon me?"

"I can't say Adrian." She choked, hating herself for lying. "But she didn't do it because of you. She… she had no choice. And… it almost killed her to leave you. But it was out of love."

A tear fell down his cheek at her words. "I want to see her. Please Peacock, tell me. Where is she?"

Seeing her son cry just made Sophia want to give up as she wiped his tear away before sniffing and grabbing him, pulling him into her and resting his head over her heart, nuzzling into his hair. "Closer than you think Silly Kitty."

The teen's eyes widened as he looked up at her. "M… mom?"

She wiped her mask clear of tears and nodded. "Hello Adrian."

"You… you're…" He looked over her outfit again.

"Yes, I'm a miraculous." She confirmed for him. "But after tonight, I can never take this form again." She smiled sadly and nodded. "Your peacock leant me her miraculous so I could come and talk to you and… and say goodbye properly."

"What? No! Mom… you can't just leave me!" He grabbed her again and held on as tight as he dared. "I won't let you go!"

"Adrian, you know Peacock needs my help. She will need me as a guide to find the temple in Tibet if she is to stand any hope of recovering from being Akumatised."

The boy's face twisted. "Wait… how did you…"

She laughed at him and lifted his hand to their eyes, looking at the silver ring. "Adrian, my role as a second miraculous is to protect the first, the cat and the ladybug. So… it's only natural that I know who Chat Noir is. And I couldn't be prouder. My boy, saving the world." Tipping her head, she winked at him. "One _ _purr__ -ty bad joke at a time."

Despite himself, Adrian laughed. "Oh come on, they aren't that bad?"

Peacock shrugged. "Hey, in my time, I made bird jokes so I'm not one to squawk." The two smiled before Sophia reached out and cupped her son's face. "I won't tell Royal Peacock who you are, that's your secret to tell. But if you care for her, as I know you do, you have to let me go. She's hurt from the Akuma and I'm the only one who can help her."

He let out a deep breath and nodded. "Alright mom."

"I know you will do the right thing." She whispered, leaning over and kissing his forehead. "I love you Adrian, never forget that."

"Love you too mom."

His mother smiled before walking to the window but then paused, looking back. "Adrian, I know this may be hard but you can't tell anyone I was here. Not even your father. Or you will all be in danger. Understand?"

"Hey, we miraculous have to stay together right?"

She grinned at him then jumped out of sight, swooping off into the distance.

* * *

Back home, Annamarie tried to put her concentration into packing but she felt a cold numbness every time she did and had to stop and cry. She wished Frou was with her, someone who knew what she was going through and could offer comfort. Her own mother didn't know how bad her situation was.

"Annamarie?"

She looked up to see her kwami flying before her, miraculous in hand that he soon dropped into her palm. "Thanks Frou."

"Sophia wanted me to thank you too. She said, it made a lot of difference to explain things to Adrian."

"If only it was that easy for me." She sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I… I'm going to leave a lot of people in the dark, Frou. People I care about will have no idea where I am, what I'm doing… nothing."

"Well… perhaps you should settle your own affairs before we leave."

"I've done the school… I can't tell my mother… who else is there?"

The kwami rolled his eyes but she didn't see. "How about your ballet career? Isn't that a part of your life too?"

She looked up from her knees to him. "The ballet?" She lowered her head again. It _ _was__ a big part of her life, ever since she was little, ballet had ruled her world. And the Paris Company was where she felt more like herself, even when she had been living under the mask of a bully. When it came to dancing, it was who she really was.

They probably knew her as herself longer than any other. She needed to say goodbye and explain things to the Madam and the other dancers. And to Louie.

* * *

Louie sighed as he looked at the clock again then down at his phone, trying once more to call his partner but once more it went to the answer machine. He closed his eyes and listened to her voice mail, hearing her clear and proud voice but didn't bother to leave a message and put his phone away. As he did, he noticed Emilie walking over to him. "Louie?"

"Any news on Annamarie?" He asked calmly.

"No. Still nothing." She sighed. "Everyone is worried about her. Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing."

"Louie."

He turned at the voice and saw the dark haired teen walking over to him in a pair of jeans and a high neck jumper. "Annamarie!" He half laughed half choked, running towards her, closing the distance in a few steps. "Where have you been? Everyone has been so worried! It's been four days!"

"I know. I'm sorry." She didn't look at him as she explained. "I've just been speaking to the madam but… I just… wanted to speak to you… personally, face to face so you could hear it from me."

"What is it?" He said, taking hold of her hands before noticing they were trembling. "Whoa, Annamarie, you're shaking. What's wrong? Has something happened? Where have you been?"

She nodded, still keeping her face turned away from. "I… I'm going away for a while."

"What? Why?"

"I… I-I can't explain it but… I need to get away from here and… and… recover."

He looked over her for a moment then knelt a little to look into her eyes. "Annamarie, did someone hurt you?"

"Yes… and no. Look, I can't tell you but… I just wanted you to know."

He lowered his gaze and let out a breath. "How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. It could be weeks, could… could be months."

"But what about the show?"

"Emilie is going to take over as lead while I'm gone."

He frowned at her. "But I don't want to dance with Emilie, I want to dance with you."

She looked up at him suddenly. "What?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like… I just… you… I mean…" He sighed before looking into her eyes and smiled. "Just get better soon and come back. We will miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She whispered softly. "I just... I'm sorry. I can't explain and… I have to go."

"When do you leave?"

"Soon." She confessed. "I just... I can't stay alright."

Guessing whatever was wrong was clearly painful to talk about, the dark haired dancer sighed and reached out slowly holding her shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Annamarie." He sighed before letting her go and Annamarie nodded, turning and walking away, leaving the room without speaking to anyone else.

As she left, Emilie came over to his side and frowned at her. "She… looked like hell."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I missed my deadline for this chapter! Unfortunately I had a slight... computer problem. In that it... broke. I've got it fixed now so I am back in action! So I am going to publish Chapters 31 and 32 today the last of Turning a Feather! But as I said, don't worry, there is a sequel! But you will have to wait for it.


	32. Chapter 32 - The End

Annamarie sighed as she slowly put some more clothes into her bag, barely paying attention to what she was doing. She knew Froufrou was sat on the window sill, looking at his charge with a clear concern and sadness but he had no idea how to comfort her.

Letting out another deep breath she turned to pick up a hair brush when suddenly something grabbed her. Not physically but in her heart, forcing her to her knees, clutching her head.

__Annamarie… listen to me. Obey me.__

It was hard to breathe, causing her to pant hard, clutching her hair in an attempt to block it out but the voice was too strong. She couldn't block it out and she screamed internally at it, maybe even out loud as well. Froufrou was floating in front of her eyes, telling her something but she couldn't hear whatever he was saying. It was crushing her.

A knock at the door and it all suddenly stopped, enabling her to look up as her mom stepped in. "Annamarie?"

Getting up off the floor, the teen cleared her throat. "Hey mom."

"You ready to go?"

"Still got a few things to pack."

Estella nodded, stepping inside and over to the desk, picking up the old photo of the blonde and brunette. "I wish you would tell me where you are going. I mean, I trust you and Sophia but…" She sighed, putting the photo down. "You've told _ _everyone__ something different on where you're going. Even I don't know the truth."

Annamarie paused in her task, staring down at her clothes. "Mom… I can't."

"Why? Why can't you tell me?"

"Where… where I'm going… is complicated."

Estella frowned at her. "What happened Annamarie? You disappeared for three days and then come back with Sophia of all people and tell me you are going away again and you won't tell me where… or for how long."

"Mom. Please."

"I'm just worried about you. I'm worried that you're…" She turned to look at her child. "Please, tell me."

Freezing in place, Annamarie stared at her bag before turning back around. "Something happened to me mom. Something that hurt me and where I'm going, it will help me get better. Maybe one day I can tell you everything but right now I can't. I'm sorry."

The adult frowned sadly but knew she wasn't going to get anywhere else and stepped over, hugging her daughter tight. The contact distressed the teen, causing her to stiffen up on the spot but she was soon released. "I wish you would tell me sweetheart but… if this will help you… then there is nothing else I can do." She gave her a kiss to her forehead and leant back.

"I'm sorry mom." Annamarie whispered as she left the room and she rubbed her head. The dark evil of the Akuma was still inside her, its influence demanding her control but she couldn't stop it. Froufrou kept telling her it was just a scar, it didn't have any control over her anymore and with time she would get better. Part of her couldn't help but doubt it. She was meant to be a hero… and she'd hurt friends. She hadn't been strong enough to fight the darkness.

Distracting herself from the thoughts, she carried on packing the singular back pack. Sophia had told her not to take anything technological or nothing that wasn't essential, mainly clothes yet she couldn't help but pack two small photos. One of her and her school friends at the opening night of the ballet while the other was from her as Peacock with Ladybug and Chat Noir at the Press conference. She couldn't bring herself to leave them behind, wrapping them up in a cloth to keep them safe.

As she had since returning to herself; she hardly slept, hearing the voice throughout the night and if it wasn't for Froufrou's comforting feathers on her cheek, she wouldn't get a second of rest but the little kwami's security and magic allowed her at least two hours before she woke up screaming. Then she'd sit in bed, crying.

It had been that way for days.

Sophia had to keep her distance, only speaking to Estella but swearing her friend to secrecy and only saying Annamarie had been hurt by something she couldn't understand. The older dancer was confused and naturally concerned for her daughter, normally so bright and happy who was suddenly distant and sad.

But the next morning, the Tolranas stood outside the front door of their home as they waited for the taxi that would take her to the airport. "You have your passport?"

"Yes mom."

"And your ticket?"

"Sophia has them." She sighed softly, shifting her bag on her back, sparing a glance at her elder, wishing for the millionth time that she could tell her the truth. "Mom. I love you. You know that right?"

"Yes dear." Wiping a tear away, Estella nodded. "I know."

They hugged, the best Annamarie could cope with but as she pulled back, she heard someone shout her name, turning to the call and gasping as she saw not only her close friends but most of her classmates and even some of her ballet company walking over. She looked over them all in awe. "What… what are you all doing here?"

"Well, we don't know when we will see you again." Louie explained as he stopped. "So… we came to see you off."

Annamarie smiled weakly at them all. "You didn't have to."

"Course we did!" Nino scoffed. "You're our friend!"

"Whatever's going on, you know we are here for you." Adrian sighed as he stepped a little further forward. "And we will be here when you come back."

She nodded and somehow managed to hug him briefly, feeling herself shake at his contact. The teen model didn't say anything but it was clear he noticed. As he stepped back, Marinette came forward holding something at her side but as they looked each other in the eye, Annamarie knew she was close to tears. But she held out the item. "So… you have something to remember us by." She managed to keep her voice level somehow.

"As if I could forget you." The other laughed softly, taking the item and looking down. It was a book, pale blue and blank on the outside but as she opened it she saw it was filled from page to page with images of those gathered, mementos of events in her time in Paris and messages from each of them.

The first page was a long message from Marinette but she didn't read it.

Not yet.

Annamarie let out a breath as she closed the book and grabbed Marinette in the tightest hug she could manage, trying to keep her trembles to a minimum and keep the tears from falling down her face. "Thank you." She whispered in her ear.

The two friends hugged a little longer before they were interrupted by the horn of an impatient taxi. Stepping away, Annamarie held the book tight. "Thank you all. But… I… I have to go now."

They nodded to her as she walked backwards, not wanting to let go of the sight of so many people.

"Take care Annamarie!"

"Come back soon!"

"We'll miss you!"

"Don't forget to write!"

"Good luck!"

"Have a safe trip!"

She waved to them all from the door of the taxi before climbing inside, waving from the back seat while the taxi began to move off and soon they were gone.

Beside her, Sophia let out a sigh. "Bit difference to when you left England. Back then it was only me."

"Yeah." She whispered as she sat down and did up her seatbelt.

After a moment of silence, the last Peacock looked at the younger girl. "You'll see them again." She promised. "You'll be back before you know it."

Running her fingers over the cover of her book, the girl nodded. "I know."

**To Be Continued…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it, the end of my first Miraculous Ladybug Fan fiction story. It's been filled with some... tough times, like losing the person who inspired the story and... it was hard. Many of you know I wanted to stop this story, to give up.
> 
> But I didn't. In memory of loveHinaSasu. (Btw if you want to see some of the art she made for me, check out my deviantart page, I know she would want me to share it with you)
> 
> And in her memory, I will continue to write and publish the sequel, Feather's Flight as well as the other Random stories and scenes I've written. But first is the story that goes between Turning A Feather and Feather's Flight; Recovery. Chapter 1 is up now!
> 
> And don't forget to review here on Turning a Feather! I love getting them!


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